At least five people died and more than a dozen others were rescued after a boat carrying evacuees overturned in floodwaters in Pakistan’s southern Punjab province, officials said on Saturday.
The incident occurred in Multan district when strong currents caused the rescue boat to capsize, according to the provincial disaster management authority. Most of the passengers were safely rescued.
Flooding from the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers has devastated over 4,100 villages, forcing more than two million people from their homes, Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabil Javed said.
Authorities have set up 423 relief camps, 512 medical units, and 432 veterinary posts to protect both people and livestock, after relocating over 1.5 million animals.
Nearly 900 people have been killed in monsoon floods across Pakistan since June, according to United Nations data. “People have left their belongings and are only trying to save their lives.
Most remain without protection. Tens of thousands of acres of farmland and mango orchards have been destroyed,” Javed noted.
Although the monsoon season typically winds down by September, Pakistan’s Meteorological Department has forecast a 10th spell of heavy rains in the coming days.
Experts say climate change is worsening the intensity and unpredictability of monsoon rains in Pakistan, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations.
This year, cloudbursts and flash floods have triggered landslides across the mountainous north and northwest.
Flooding in 2022 wiped out vast stretches of farmland in eastern and southern Pakistan, prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to warn of looming food shortages.
While seasonal monsoons remain vital for South Asia’s agriculture, scientists warn that global warming is making the phenomenon increasingly erratic and deadly.
