ISLAMABAD: The nationwide death toll from this month's flash floods in various parts of Pakistan rose to 81 on Tuesday as floodwater inundated hundreds of villages, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless, authorities said.
The floods have affected 300,000 people in the two weeks since deluges hit the northern city of Chitral and the eastern Punjab province, the National Disaster Management Authority said. It warned of more rains this week and asked authorities to take necessary steps to prevent further destruction.
The authority said the flooding inundated hundreds of villages and damaged 1,921 homes.
It said a total of 172,016 people were rescued from the flood-hit areas in the eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces.
Pakistan's military meanwhile said its helicopters had evacuated 30 patients and tourists from the badly flooded northern city of Chitral to the city of Peshawar.
Floods triggered by monsoon rains kill scores of people annually in Pakistan.