Islamabad
The death toll from a tropical cyclone that displaced more than
15,000 people in Pakistan's southern coastal belt has climbed to 62,
while 32 more were feared dead as several boats sank in the Arabian
Sea, officials and media reports said Wednesday.
Cyclone Yemyin moved in from the North Arabian Sea with winds up to
130km an hour that wreaked havoc along the coast of southern
Balochistan Tuesday.
"Around 15,000 to 20,000 people are left homeless in the province as
heavy floods inundated dozens of villages," spokesman for
Balochistan government Razaq Bugti said.
Ten people, including four children, lost their lives Tuesday in the
devastation caused by heavy rains and floods in various districts,
he said.
"Hundreds of people have taken refuge on trees and government
buildings. Massive killings are feared here," Aaj news channel
reported.
Aaj news channel reported five more deaths Wednesday in Khuzdar,
Gandhawa and Karkh districts, where communication links are severely
disrupted.
At least two Hindu pilgrims drowned after becoming trapped in a
rainwater drain in Pasni district. Around two dozen people,
including 15 Hindu pilgrims, are still missing there, the daily News
said.
Four more died in the district Wednesday when rains flooded dozens
of villages and inundated around 500 houses, provincial minister
Malik Shaheryar said.
Heavy floods also swept away dozens of bridges and the coastal
highway linking Balochistan's deep-sea water port of Gwadar with the
port city of Karachi in Sindh province, leaving hundreds of people
stranded.
More than 10,000 people were evacuated to high ground in eight
districts of Balochistan. Around 12,000 people, forced to flee to a
hillock just outside Gwadar city, started to return as the
meteorological authorities said the "worst was over".
"The cyclone has now entered Iran but some Pakistani coastal areas
will continue to experience rainfall," said Qamar-uz-Zaman,
Meteorological Services director general.
The roads were being cleared and relief work was underway in the
coastal city of Pasni where hundreds of residents spent the second
night in the open on nearby sandy hills.
Yemyin narrowly missed Karachi and other coastal areas in Sindh
province but heavy rains claimed 40 lives in the province.
At least 18 people were killed in rain-related incidents as
intermittent downpours continued Tuesday in Karachi for the third
consecutive day, taking the death toll in the city due to the recent
tropical storms to around 250, the News said.
Three people were drowned in Katty Bandar coastal area of Sindh
province after seawater flooded the shore.
Two fishing boats sank in Gharo Shah and Shah Bandar shores, killing
14 fishermen while 25 were rescued.
Thirty-one other fishing trawlers with 400 people on board were
missing, a spokesman for the Fisherman Cooperative Society said on
Wednesday.
Sources at Karchi port told the Dawn newspaper that 32 fishermen on
two missing boats - Al Taif and Al Majid - were feared dead.
Pakistan's navy is carrying out a massive rescue and recovery
operation in the high seas and so far 100 people on several stranded
fishing trawlers and ships have been rescued, according to navy
spokesman commander Salman Ali.
Meanwhile, the poultry farmers association claimed that the tropical
storm also killed more than one million chickens in various
districts of Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
Boloji.com is owned and managed by Boloji Media Inc Privacy Policy |
Disclaimer
No part of this Internet site may
be reproduced without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
