3 more Chinese, UAE planes carrying relief goods for flood victims land in Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – Three more Chinese and United Arab Emirates (UAE) planes carrying reliefs goods for flood victims in Pakistan landed in Karachi and Rawalpindi, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

“In continuation of humanitarian assistance to help Pakistan in these devastating floods, four such relief flights from China have landed in Pakistan carrying tents and other relief goods till now," said Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, spokesman for the ministry, in a statement.

One flight from the UAE that was carrying relief goods also landed at Nur Khan Air Base in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

"In past three days, seven relief flights from the UAE have landed in Pakistan carrying food items, medical supplies, and tents, etc.," Ahmad said.

Pakistan thanked China, UAE and other countries for their timely and valuable support in the current difficult time when the South Asian nation is hit by destructive floods.

The most devastating monsoon spells in Pakistan's recent history, combined with raging floods, have ripped away mountainsides, ripped building foundations off, and inundated over 70 districts, turning them into inland rivers.

Nearly 1,200 people have lost their lives, while more than a million houses have been destroyed or damaged since mid-June, according to the country's National Disaster Management Authority.

Some 33.4 million people across the country have been affected by the ongoing rainfall and floods, the authority said.

Constant rains and raging floods have already destroyed a large chunk of infrastructure and agricultural lands across the country, including tens of thousands of houses, roads, and bridges, and washed away nearly a million animals.

According to the Meteorological Department of Pakistan, the South Asian country, which is among the top 10 nations in the world vulnerable to climate change, has received over 200% more rains this year than average monsoon showers.