According to initial government estimates, the rain and flooding have caused $10bn (£8.7bn) in damage. “The scale of the disaster is enormous and requires a massive humanitarian response for 33 million people. Therefore, I appeal to my fellow Pakistanis, the Pakistani expatriate and the international community to help Pakistan in this hour of need,” Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal told a press conference. Many officials and experts have blamed the unusual monsoon rains and floods on climate change, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called on the world to stop “sleepwalking” into the deadly crisis. He will visit Pakistan on September 9 to tour flood-affected areas and meet officials. The United Nations and Pakistan have jointly appealed for $160 million in emergency funding to help the millions of people affected by the floods, which have damaged more than 1 million homes. Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority in its latest report on Saturday counted 57 more deaths from flood-hit areas, bringing the total death toll from mid-June monsoon rains to 1,265, including 441 children. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s earlier appeal for aid received a swift response from the international community, which sent planes loaded with relief goods. A French plane carrying relief goods landed in Islamabad on Saturday and was received by the Minister of National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel. Patel said the aid goods sent by France include medicine and large pumps to lower water levels. He said France had also sent a team of doctors and experts. Pakistan has established a National Flood Response and Coordination Center to distribute aid. Iqbal supervises the center under the army. The minister said that rains in this monsoon season have hit most areas of Balochistan and Sindh provinces, as well as parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. Gilgit-Baltistan region was also affected. Torrential rains and subsequent flash floods caused massive damage to infrastructure, roads, power grids and communications. Iqbal said that the government is working to bring the country back to normal as soon as possible, but that the Pakistani government cannot do it alone. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. General Zafar Iqbal said in the press conference that in the last four days, 29 planes loaded with relief items have arrived in Pakistan from Turkey, UAE, China, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Turkmenistan and other countries. Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Iftikhar Babar said rescuers supported by the army were continuing rescue and relief operations. He said the Air Force, Air Force and Marines were using boats and helicopters to evacuate people from remote areas and deliver aid. Babar said the army has set up 147 relief camps housing and feeding more than 50,000 displaced people, while 250 medical camps have provided assistance to 83,000 people so far. Health officials have expressed concern about the spread of waterborne diseases among homeless people living in relief camps and roadside tents. Lt. Gen. Akhtar Nawaz, head of the disaster management authority, said areas of the country that were expected to receive 15 percent to 20 percent additional rains this year actually received more than 400 percent more. Collectively, the country has seen 190% more rain this monsoon season. The US military’s Central Command said it would send an assessment team to Islamabad to see what support it could provide. The United States announced $30 million in aid for flood victims earlier this week. Two members of the US Congress, Sheila Jackson and Tom Suzy, were expected to arrive in Pakistan on Sunday to visit flood-affected areas and meet officials. The UK Disaster Emergency Committee’s appeal to help those affected by the floods has raised £13.5 million after it was launched on Thursday.
