Following the rupture of Shadikor dam on Thursday, a second, smaller dam in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province has breached, killing seven as the region continues to experience torrential rainfall.
Officials now place the death toll between 350 and 450 as a result of floods in the country. Nine small villages downstream from the dam – home to 800 – 900 people – have been swept away by floods, with survivors seeking refuge on higher ground.
Approximately 4000 soldiers have been bought in by sea and air to bring emergency supplies to the worst hit areas.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf visited rain-hit areas of Baluchistan on Saturday to review relief efforts and announce financial compensation for victims of the disaster.
The fatalities as a result of from the Shadikor dam burst alone are now reported as at least 135, with hundreds still missing.
Elsewhere in Pakistan, flash floods, avalanches and landslides in north-west frontier province and the Himalayan region of Kashmir caused more than 100 fatalities as the region’s worst weather for years continued.
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