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Pakistan Sending Military To Karachi To Aid Rescue Efforts Amid Flood Disaster


People make their way on an flooded street after heavy rain in Karachi on August 31.
People make their way on an flooded street after heavy rain in Karachi on August 31.

Pakistan Army troops are being sent to the southern city of Karachi to help in rescue efforts after massive floods that left at least 27 people dead, many of them electrocuted from falling power lines.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on September 1 ordered army soldiers, paramilitary rangers, and emergency equipment to the city of up to 23 million people that is battling the effects of the monsoon season.

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar said thousands of residents in two of the city’s neighborhoods have been told to evacuate on concerns they could be swept away by an overflowing river.

The mayor said 15 people, including children, died overnight on August 31 from electrocution, falling buildings, and flooding.

A spokesman for the Edhi rescue agency said the city’s death toll could rise after rescuers are able to access areas currently unreachable.

Officials said at least 115 people have died in Pakistan during the current monsoon season, while officials in India reported 1,687 deaths due to floods and related disasters since June.

Based on reporting by dpa and The Nation

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