Pak floods, rains kill 14 more people; toll reaches 83

At least 14 more people were killed today and many others injured across Pakistan in the devastating floods triggered by torrential rains, raising the overall death toll in the flooding to 83.
Thousands of people have been rendered homeless while thousands of acres of crops have been destroyed in widespread torrential rains and floods in Pakistan's southern Sindh province this week.
At least 34 people were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 15 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, 14 in Sindh, eight in Punjab, seven in Balochistan and five in Gilgit-Baltistian among others, bringing the overall toll to 83, officials said.
The devastated areas included Hyderabad and Sukkur cities, Tando Allahyar Khan, Jamshoro, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Jacobabad and Tharparkar where officials said standing crops on thousands of acres of agricultural land had been destroyed.

"Rescue work is underway on emergency footing in the affected areas where hundreds of villages have been washed away and thousands left homeless," Sindh Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation, Jameeluz Zaman said.
Many residential and commercial areas in Hyderabad and Sukkur cities were also devastated after the torrential rains and were under one or two feet of water.

"The casualties have occurred due to collapse of houses or electrocution as the roads have been flooded and blocked with the drainage system not working while the frequency of power breakdowns has also increased," he said.
Tharparkar Deputy Commissioner, Khudo Dino Shuro told reporters that the drought hit Tharparkar district had been swept by heavy rains since Sunday flooding villages and towns.

"Boats are being used to rescue stranded villagers in these areas," he added.
The latest spell of rains, which started on Friday, is likely to continue for rest of the week, according to officials.