EU gives Pakistan $39m for flood affectees

BRUSSELS: The European Commission said Saturday it had given 30 million euros in humanitarian aid to help the most needy in Pakistan, including those hit by flooding that has killed at least 800 people.
“The European Commission has adopted a 30-million-euro (39-million-dollar) humanitarian aid decision to assist the most vulnerable people in Pakistan in urgent need of help,” it said in a statement.
“Pakistan has been hit by terrible floods and more rain is forecast. Our thoughts are with those affected by them,” Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva was quoted as saying.
“I am pleased that our decision to provide new humanitarian funding for the most vulnerable people in Pakistan will also be able to benefit the people, who have suffered from this disaster.”
The floods and landslides have destroyed hundreds of homes and vast swathes of farmland in the northwest and Pakistani Kashmir, with the main highway to China reportedly cut and communities isolated.
The United Nations has said almost a million people had been affected by the flooding.