UN chief urges global community to help flood-affected Pakistan

Floods claim nearly 1,200 people's lives, destroy or damage more than a million houses since mid-June

ANKARA (AA) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged the international community to come forward and help Pakistan.

"The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids. More than 1000 people have been killed - with millions more lives shattered. This colossal crisis requires urgent, collective action to help the Government & people of Pakistan in their hour of need," the UN chief said in a video message.

The most destructive 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.

Constant rains and raging floods have also destroyed a large chunk of the country's infrastructure and agricultural lands, including hundreds of 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.

Meanwhile, Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said on Tuesday that high-emitting countries are to blame for a devastating flood in Pakistan that killed over 1,100 people and destroyed over a million homes.

While commenting on the flood in the South Asian country, he stated that the people of Pakistan did not cause this destruction to their country.

"Let's be clear: the Pakistani people did not do this to Pakistan –– we all did, and the high-emitting nations are most responsible," he tweeted alongside a video of a heavy flood destroying buildings and properties.

"Unless we end our species' addiction to fossil fuels, every country in the world will remain in the crosshairs of the climate breakdown," he added.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid

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