Death Toll from Floods in Pakistan Reaches 1,100

August 01, 2010; 3:01 PM
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An aerial view shows the Pakistani city of Nowshera submerged by flood waters caused by heavy monsoon rain Friday, July 30, 2010. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

Since the monsoon started last week, the resultant flooding and landslides have claimed at least 1,100 lives in northwestern Pakistan. Additional rain over the next few days threatens to worsen the situation.

The monsoon season usually begins with a period of extremely heavy rainfall. This year, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Mark Paquette stated that people may not have been prepared for the monsoon, or may have taken for granted that the monsoon may be late, non-existent, or more sporadic than normal because of last year's unreliable and spotty monsoon rainfall.

The Associated Press reports that the death toll from the recent flooding has reached 1,100 in northwestern Pakistan. It is feared that the death toll will rise since rescue workers have yet to access certain areas.

Authorities have deployed 43 military helicopters and more than 100 boats in an attempt to rescue the roughly 27,300 people who remain trapped by the flooding.

Flood waters have started to recede thanks to a lull in the monsoonal rains this weekend. Officials are now getting a better view of the disaster.

Latifur Rehman, spokesman for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, told the Associated Press that "Aerial monitoring is being conducted, and it has shown that whole villages have washed away, animals have drowned and grain storages have washed away."

Rehman put it simply, "the destruction is massive."

Even though flood waters are receding, the arrival of more rain in the upcoming few days threatens to renew severe flooding problems.

Related to the Story:

Pakistan Plane Crashes Amidst Clouds, Rain

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