Islamabad: Pakistan made a desperate plea to the international community to ensure that their resolve to support the country remains undeterred, as the cataclysmic floods, similar to the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in the US in 2005, has killed over 1,300 people and displaced more than 33 million.
Pakistan is struggling to respond to the floods given their unprecedented magnitude. Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in northern mountains brought floods that have killed at least 1,300 people since June 14, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The total number of people who have suffered injuries stands at 12,577, it said.
Addressing a press conference, minister for planning Ahsan Iqbal said the federal government called on the international community to ensure that their resolve for support to Pakistan remains undeterred as the scale of the disaster warrants a major humanitarian response, Geo TV reported.
Pakistan and the United Nations jointly issued a flash appeal for $160 million to help the country deal with the catastrophic floods. “Pakistan is awash in suffering,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a video message. “The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids – the relentless impact of epochal levels of rain and flooding.” He said the funds will provide 5.2 million people with food, water, sanitation, emergency education, protection and health support.
