Thaindian News

Islamabad, Sep 25 (IANS) Floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan have left at least 412 people dead besides affecting over 8.2 million, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.

At least 1,172 people were injured in the disasters, NDMA spokesman Ahmad Kamal told Xinhua.

A total of 389 people, including 93 women and 87 children, were killed in Sindh while 23 people died in Balochistan. Unicef said 2.7 million children were among the affected.

The floods swept away standing crops in over 7.9 million acres in the two provinces, he said.

According to NDMA, floods have affected 41,334 villages in 23 districts of Sindh. Over 630,450 houses have been damaged. Over 709,000 people have been living in relief camps.

International NGO Save the Children has warned that the lives of two million people, over half of them children, are at severe risk from diseases like malaria and diarrhoea.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who cancelled his visit to address the UN General Assembly, visited the floods-hit areas of Sindh.

In response to an appeal by President Asif Ali Zardari, China has supplied relief goods worth $4.7 million, Iran has announced a $100 million aid, Japan $450,000, South Korea $200,000, the European Commission 10 million euros ($13.5 million), Germany $210 million, and the Red Cross Society of China donated $50,000.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also called on the international community to step forward to help the flood victims.

In 2010, the the worst floods in the last 80 years hit. More than 2,000 people were killed while damage to infrastructure was worth around $15 billion. The floods left 20 million people homeless.