U.N. offers $160 million to help flood-hit Pakistan, deaths top 1,100
The United Nations on Tuesday offered a $160 million aid to help Pakistan address damage from heavy rain and floods that have killed more than 1,100 people and affected 33 million since mid-June.
The six-month aid package is mainly aimed at helping 5.2 million people who have been hit hardest by the natural disaster, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, calling on other countries for further financial support and cooperation.
According to a tally by the Natural Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan, the death toll topped 1,100 and 3,500 others were injured as of Tuesday.
More than 250 bridges were swept away and the total length of damaged roads surpassed 5,000 kilometers, making it difficult to transport food and other disaster relief materials, it said.
“The devastation is evidence of seriousness of the threat posed by climate change,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a tweet Tuesday. Despite having less than 1 percent share in carbon emission, Pakistan is ranked eighth in terms of exposure to climate hazards, he said.
The United Nations said Tuesday that Secretary General Antonio Guterres will visit Pakistan from Sept. 9 to meet with displaced people and inspect disaster relief activities provided by the world body.