280 killed in Pakistan rain, floods
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Islamabad: Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Saturday said that at least 280 people have been killed due to the heavy rain and floods in various parts of the country.
NDMA spokesman Ahmad Kamal said that more than two million people have been affected in the ongoing crisis, Dawn online reported.
The statement comes as military specialists blew up dykes in central Pakistan to divert swollen rivers and save cities from raging floods.
Most of the breaches at the overflowing Chenab river were made overnight as flood waters reached Multan.
An additional hole was breached near Karachi's Shershah Bridge as a result of which water was rapidly flowing into towns in the vicinity.
As a consequence, dozens of villages have also been inundated.
Civil and military officials have been using helicopters and boats to evacuate displaced people since Sep 3, when floods triggered by monsoon rains hit Pakistan.
The military said in a statement that it was still evacuating people and air-dropping food in the districts of Multan, Muzaffargarh and Jhang.
It said troops had air dropped tonnes of food in flood-affected areas, while the army's medical teams were also treating patients.