Pakistan monsoons kill more than 80

The nationwide death toll from this month's flash floods in various parts of Pakistan rose to 81 as floodwaters inundated hundreds of villages, while leaving tens of thousands of people homeless. The severe rains which began in mid-July have caused havoc in many parts of the country.

Chitral particularly affected

Authorities said that the floods had affected 300,000 people in the two weeks since deluges hit the northern city of Chitral and the eastern Punjab province. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warned of more rains to come this week, and asked authorities to take the necessary steps to prevent further destruction.

Pakistan's military meanwhile said its helicopters had airlifted 30 patients and tourists from the badly flooded city of Chitral to the city of Peshawar. Many roads and bridges around Chitral have also been affected.

The NDMA also said that the flooding had inundated hundreds of villages and had damaged 1,921 homes, adding that a total of 172,016 people had been rescued from the flood-hit areas.

Every year, Pakistan and neighboring India are hit by severe weather patterns, which have killed hundreds and wiped out millions of acres of prime farmland in recent years, harming the heavily agrarian economy.

ss/lw (AFP, AP)