Army moves to rescue thousands stranded by heavy rains in Pakistan

KARACHI (AFP) Jul 26, 2003
Army troops have been called in to rescue thousands of people stranded in parts of southern Sindh province due to continued heavy rains as the death toll reached 37 in three days, official said Saturday.

Hundreds of army personnel and civil administration officials are busy rescuing people caught up in the low-lying areas of Badin, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Karachi, Sindh government spokesman Salahuddin Haider told

The government also declared a state of emergency in all government hospitals in Karachi as rains, which have falledn for the last week, failed to cease on Saturday, he said.

"At least 37 people were killed in the past three days, including 10 in Karachi and five in Badin. Most of the deaths (were) caused by collapsing roofs, flooding and electrocution," Haider said.

The government has used eight helicopters to rescue the thousands of people, who were being shifted in relief camps.

Officials of the social welfare organisation Edhi said they have sent 20 ambulances and tents to aid the rain victims.

"(The) situation is bad in Badin as it is still raining there and we are facing difficulties in rescue work," rescuer Rizwan Edhi told AFP.

But the rains have ended a drought in the Thar desert region, triggering a celebration among the people longing for moisture.

Some 30 people were killed in heavy rains and storms in Karachi earlier this month, and meteorologists have predicted more rains in the next 24 hours.

TERRA.WIRE