Already ravaged by flash floods, Pakistan’s Balochistan province lost contact with the rest of the country after overnight rains, officials said on Friday, as the South Asian nation battles to cope with the humanitarian calamity.
Historic monsoon rains and flooding in Pakistan have affected more than 30 million people in recent weeks, according to the country’s climate change minister, who described the situation as a ‘climate-induced humanitarian calamity of epic proportions.’
The loss of infrastructure and the breakdown of communication links complicates the authorities’ rescue and relief activities in the region.
Pakistan has asked the world community for assistance as it deals with the aftermath of severe rains that caused huge floods, killing over 900 people.
Balochistan’s aviation, road, and rail networks have already been suspended, shutting it off from the rest of the country.
‘Voice and data services in Quetta and the rest of the province have been impacted due to torrential rains and flash floods in Balochistan optical fibre cable,’ Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) announced on Twitter.
It said that efforts are being undertaken to overcome this unique issue.
On Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted that he had met with ambassadors and other senior officials in Islamabad ‘as part of efforts to deploy all resources.’
Officials claimed a key railway bridge between Kolpur and Mach in Bolan Pass washed away, cutting off Quetta, the capital of southern Balochistan, from the rest of the country for an indeterminate duration.
Due to destroyed bridges and landslides, all four routes connecting Balochistan to neighbouring provinces were closed.
According to authorities, more than 235 people have been murdered in the province so far, and hundreds of thousands have lost their homes.
Post Your Comments