BBC NEWS ASIA . India and Pakistan floods: Thousands still marooned Hundreds of thousands of people remain stranded in India and many more have been warned to leave their homes in Pakistan amid some of the worst flooding in the region in decades. The death toll in the two countries has passed 450 with troops deployed to rescue people and provide relief. Officials say 400,000 people are stranded in Indian-administered Kashmir, where 200 people have died. In Pakistan, 254 people have died and thousands have been asked to evacuate. Pakistans Minister for Water and Power Khwaja Mohammad Asif was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that some 700,000 people had been told to leave their homes, which could be inundated in the next four days. Hundreds of people are trying to leave Srinagar, the main city of Indian-administered Kashmir. Hordes of tourists are trying to take flights out of the citys airport, while many migrant workers, who have no money to pay for tickets, are looking for free flights. Although the rains have subsided, many areas of the city are still water-logged, including neighbourhoods around the Dal Lake. Pick-up trucks packed with young men are going around neighbourhoods to rescue trapped people as many complain that the authorities are not doing enough. The main road to the city from the airport is still under water. There has been more flooding overnight in Pakistan and much of the water is coming from across the border in India, says the BBCs Andrew North in Punjab. Some of the earth dykes which were holding the water back are now collapsing, releasing a new surge into farming villages where residents thought they would be untouched, our correspondent adds. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the floods were a sad moment for the country. These floods came suddenly and no one knew that such a large flood was coming, he told flood victims in Hafiz district on Tuesday.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 11:03:32 +0000
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