At least 1000 killed as KP declares floods-affected district as calamity hit areas

PESHAWAR: Flooding in various parts of the country has killed more than 1000 people in a week, as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government Saturday declared the floods hit districts as calamity hit areas.
The rescuers struggled to reach marooned victims and some evacuees showed signs of fever, diarrhea and other waterborne diseases.
The flooding caused by record-breaking rainfalls caused massive destruction in the past week, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where officials said it was the worst deluge since 1929. The UN estimated Saturday that some 1 million people nationwide were affected by the disaster, though it didn't specify exactly what that meant.
Provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said reports coming in from various districts across the northwest showed that more than 800 people had died due to the flooding. He said that 104 people remain missing.
Floodwaters were believed to be receding in some sections, but it was difficult to get a complete picture.
Addressing a press conference The minister said that the provincial government has exempted the floods affected areas from the taxes and declared those districts as calamity hit areas. He also demanded of the federal government to declare the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as calamity hit province.
He also announced Rs10,0000 each for the dead victims of the floods.
Iftikhar said that no province has contacted the KP government for assistance till date
In the Nowshera area, scores of men, women and children sat on roofs in hopes of air or boat rescues.
''There are very bad conditions,'' said Amjad Ali, a rescue worker in the area. ''They have no water, no food.''
A doctor treating evacuees at a small relief camp in Nowshera said some had diarrhea and others had marks appearing on their skin, causing itching. Children and the elderly seemed to have the most problems, Mehmood Jaa said.
''Due to the floodwater, they now have pain in their bodies and they are suffering from fever and cough,'' Jaa told a foreign news agency.
Rescuers were using army helicopters, heavy trucks and boats to try reaching flood-hit areas, the UN said. It reported that thousands of homes and roads were destroyed, and at least 45 bridges across the northwest were damaged.
The destruction is slowing the rescue effort, said Luther Rehman, a government official in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa.
''Our priority is to transport flood-affected people to safer places. We are carrying out this rescue operation despite limited resources,'' he said, adding they needed more helicopters and boats.