Severe rain and floods kill more than 900 in Pakistan

Pakistan is passing through a crisis. It witnessed severe rains and flooding this summer. The country’s Minister for Climate Change told a section of the media that Pakistan needs international assistance. It is a "humanitarian disaster" and thousands have no shelter and food. The communication lines have broken and people do not have the basic amenities. The death toll has crossed 900 and the dead include 326 children. Heavy monsoon rains and floods since June have affected more than 2.3 million people in the country. This is as per the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA. It reveals at least 95,350 homes are destroyed. Most affected regions are the southeastern province of Sindh and the southwestern province of Balochistan. Over 900 killed by Pakistan monsoon rains and floods, including 326 children. Apart from loss of livestock, nearly 1,864 miles of roads and 129 bridges are damaged. These have cut off access to many flood-affected areas.

The governmental National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan wants international funding for flood relief, rehabilitation, and the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure. Sherry Rehman, Minister for Climate Change, spoke at the NDMA briefing. She compared the situation to record flooding in 2010. She also mentioned about the "unprecedented humanitarian disaster" in parts of Balochistan and the Sindh region. The forecast is of more heavy rain and floods. Schools in Balochistan and Sindh will remain closed in anticipation of a fresh spell of monsoon rain expected towards the end of the week. China indicated that it would provide emergency humanitarian aid to Pakistan. These would include tents apart from cash. Monsoon rains are not new to Pakistan but this year was an exception. About 15 inches of rain poured down in the course of a few hours in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi. This July was the wettest in three decades.

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Pre-dawn fire in a hotel in Karachi kills 11, leaves another 75 injured

A pre-dawn fire at the Regent Plaza Hotel in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi has left at least 11 dead and injured 75 others. The dead included four women and the injured included some foreigners. The fire broke out in the kitchen at the ground floor of a four-star hotel located on the city's Shahrah-i-Faisal, and swept through the building. Guests were trapped in their rooms.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 5 December 2016.

Most of the victims had suffered from smoke inhalation or suffocated and the hotel was completely evacuated. Some of the guests were injured after jumping from windows to escape the blaze. The cause of the fire in the hotel was not clear and an investigation had been launched.
It seems there were international and domestic cricket players among those injured in the blaze. The cricket team was staying at the fourth floor of the hotel. One of the cricketers broke his ankle as he jumped from the second floor to save his life and is now recovering at a hospital.
International cricketer Sohaib Maqsood was also staying at the hotel but he was safe.
Fire in buildings in Pakistan are usually results of faulty wiring or electrical short-circuits.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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