Deaths From Pakistan Floods May Reach 3,000, Rescue Service Official Says

Anwar Shakir and Farhan Sharif Bloomberg.com 08/01/2010 15:50

As many as 3,000 people may have died in flash floods that devastated northwestern Pakistan and affected almost a million people as the U.S. pledged aid and the United Nations started distributing food.

“The death toll could go as high as 3,000 because the level of destruction has been so great,” Mujahid Khan, chief spokesman for Edhi rescue service, said by telephone from Peshawar at the weekend.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised $10 million in emergency aid to Pakistan, while the U.N.’s World Food Program said it began handing out food to 35,000 families affected by the flooding as food supplies dwindle. More rains are expected in the coming days, potentially worsening the situation, Accuweather.com said in a forecast yesterday.

The death toll stood at 1,025, Khan said Aug. 1. The flood disaster follows the deaths of 152 people when a plane crashed in heavy rain near the capital, Islamabad, on July 28. Homes and bridges have collapsed in the rain, live electric wires have fallen into the waters and families have been swept away.

“We can see people drowning but we can’t go into the water because of its high pressure,” Khan said. “The relief efforts of everyone combined is only 5 percent of what’s required.”

The U.S. is rushing helicopters, boats, pre-fabricated bridges, mobile water treatment units and food supplies to affected areas, Clinton said in a statement yesterday.