Pakistan floods: death toll tops 1,000 as tens of thousands forced to flee their homes overnight
- Historic monsoon rains and flooding in Pakistan have affected more than 30 million people over the last few weeks
- The death toll from floods this month in Afghanistan had risen to 192, disaster authorities said
Pakistan’s flooded southern Sindh province on Sunday braced for a fresh deluge from swollen rivers in the north as the death toll from this year’s monsoon topped 1,000.
The mighty Indus River that courses through Pakistan’s second-most populous region is fed by dozens of mountain tributaries to the north, but many have burst their banks following record rains and glacier melt.
Officials warned torrents of water were expected to reach Sindh in the next few days, adding misery to millions already affected by the floods.
“Right now, Indus is in high flood,” said Aziz Soomro, the supervisor of a barrage that regulates the river’s flow near Sukkur.
The annual monsoon is essential for irrigating crops and replenishing lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, but it also brings destruction.
