The death toll from monsoon rains and flash floods lasting more than five weeks across Pakistan has reached 304, authorities said on Saturday.
Since mid-June, the great flood has flooded rivers and damaged highways and bridges, disrupting traffic. Nearly 9,000 homes were either completely destroyed or partially damaged.
Particularly hard hit was the impoverished southwestern province of Balochistan, where 99 people died in rain-related incidents and subsequent flooding, followed by 70 deaths in the southern province of Sindh.
There have also been 61 deaths in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, and 60 in the eastern Punjab province. The dead included women and children, and at least 284 were injured.
Every year, much of Pakistan grapples with annual monsoons, prompting criticism for poor government planning. The season lasts from July to September. Rain is essential for irrigating crops and replenishing dams and other reservoirs in Pakistan.
