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| Baloch Society Of North America (BSO_NA) Baloch Society Of North America (BSO_NA) is Non-Profit Organization, working to unite and Organize all Baloch in North America, to expose the Occupation of our land (Balochistan) and exploitations of our resources by Pakistani and Iranian Governments, and to bring their Human Rights Violations in Balochistan into the world’s Notice. |
Cyclone Yemyin aftermath:
June 28th, 2007: The devastation caused by cyclone Yemyin in the coastal areas of Balochistan
exposes the lack of preparedness of the district and provincial governments to minimise the damage
to life and property. The cyclone wreaked havoc in eight districts, killing more than 260 people and
rendering some 250,000 homeless. The cyclone, which also affected parts of Sindh, gathered wind
speeds of up to 130 kilometres per hour amid torrential rains. Hundreds of people have been
reported missing as villages were razed to the ground. Gwadar was cut off as the coastal highway
was badly damaged. The road connecting Karachi and Quetta has also been swept away at some
June 28th, 2007: The devastation caused by cyclone Yemyin in the coastal areas of Balochistan
exposes the lack of preparedness of the district and provincial governments to minimise the damage
to life and property. The cyclone wreaked havoc in eight districts, killing more than 260 people and
rendering some 250,000 homeless. The cyclone, which also affected parts of Sindh, gathered wind
speeds of up to 130 kilometres per hour amid torrential rains. Hundreds of people have been
reported missing as villages were razed to the ground. Gwadar was cut off as the coastal highway
was badly damaged. The road connecting Karachi and Quetta has also been swept away at some
points. As many roads have been washed away, people have been stranded across the coastal areas.
It is worrying to note that the district and provincial government administrations were conspicuous by their absence before and after the
cyclone struck, leaving people complaining about the lack of rescue and relief efforts. A few rescue and relief operations were undertaken by
army personnel, but considering the extent of the calamity, these were inadequate. A number of NGOs played their part in evacuating the
stranded locals. Most people, however, had to leave the area on their own, using whatever means they had with them. According to reports,
the number of homeless people may increase in the absence of adequate relief operations and the raised water levels in the Mirani and Hub
dams, threatening entire villages. The same negligent attitude of the district and provincial government was witnessed earlier this month
when cyclone Gonu struck the coastal areas of Balochistan, displacing hundreds. This time, government departments were expected to take
appropriate measures in the light of their past experience. This has not happened. In this age of scientific advance, cyclones are not a
sudden calamity and can be predicted with great accuracy. No measures were taken despite the fact that the provincial and federal
governments had been forewarned about the cyclone by the meteorological department.
Timely and effective measures are still required to rescue the inhabitants of the coastal areas. Early evacuation could save many lives. The
same is true for people living in villages near the dams. The danger is still not over. Reports say another cyclone is building up in the Bay of
Bengal, which could move towards our costal areas. It is time the district and provincial authorities built up capacity to deal with cyclones,
keeping in view the sparse and scattered population. There is a lot to be done to rescue the local people as dozens of villages have been cut
off. The resettlement of areas that have been devastated by the calamity presents a serious challenge. The department of civil defence,
which does not seem to be operational in the affected districts, can play a major role in such situations. The federal government has also
failed to realise the extent of the disaster. As suggested earlier in this space, the Disaster Management Cell established in the wake of the
October 2005 earthquake should have been utilised. Let this be a wake-up call for the government.
It is worrying to note that the district and provincial government administrations were conspicuous by their absence before and after the
cyclone struck, leaving people complaining about the lack of rescue and relief efforts. A few rescue and relief operations were undertaken by
army personnel, but considering the extent of the calamity, these were inadequate. A number of NGOs played their part in evacuating the
stranded locals. Most people, however, had to leave the area on their own, using whatever means they had with them. According to reports,
the number of homeless people may increase in the absence of adequate relief operations and the raised water levels in the Mirani and Hub
dams, threatening entire villages. The same negligent attitude of the district and provincial government was witnessed earlier this month
when cyclone Gonu struck the coastal areas of Balochistan, displacing hundreds. This time, government departments were expected to take
appropriate measures in the light of their past experience. This has not happened. In this age of scientific advance, cyclones are not a
sudden calamity and can be predicted with great accuracy. No measures were taken despite the fact that the provincial and federal
governments had been forewarned about the cyclone by the meteorological department.
Timely and effective measures are still required to rescue the inhabitants of the coastal areas. Early evacuation could save many lives. The
same is true for people living in villages near the dams. The danger is still not over. Reports say another cyclone is building up in the Bay of
Bengal, which could move towards our costal areas. It is time the district and provincial authorities built up capacity to deal with cyclones,
keeping in view the sparse and scattered population. There is a lot to be done to rescue the local people as dozens of villages have been cut
off. The resettlement of areas that have been devastated by the calamity presents a serious challenge. The department of civil defence,
which does not seem to be operational in the affected districts, can play a major role in such situations. The federal government has also
failed to realise the extent of the disaster. As suggested earlier in this space, the Disaster Management Cell established in the wake of the
October 2005 earthquake should have been utilised. Let this be a wake-up call for the government.
Rabbani slates govt for ‘poor’ relief work in cyclone-hit areas
Says 250,000 people need immediate relief in Balochistan
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Leader of opposition in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani on Thursday castigated the government for what he alleged “its apathy”
towards carrying out relief operations in the cyclone-devastated areas of Balochistan and Sindh.
Senator Rabbani said in a statement issued here that it was a matter of grave concern that despite early warnings of the cyclone hitting
coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan, the federal and provincial governments miserably failed to mitigate the suffering of people.
"The regime kept making empty announcements but failed to set up relief camps or assist the people in evacuating from the affected areas,"
he alleged.
Rabbani pointed out that in Balochistan today more than 250,000 people had been rendered homeless or severely affected by the cyclone
and were in need of immediate relief, which the government had failed to provide.
He said that people still continued to be marooned and awaited evacuation. At least six union councils in the affected areas had been
completely washed away.
He deplored that the prime minister, federal ministers and chief ministers had not visited the devastated areas or homeless people.
The senator said he contacted Balochistan senators Dr Abdul Malik, Abdul Rahim Mandokhail and Shahid Bugti, who expressed their dismay
over the “government's inaction”.
He called upon the government to immediately undertake extensive operations in Balochistan and Sindh so as to provide relief to the
distressed people, failing which the joint opposition in the Senate would take appropriate measures in this connection.
Says 250,000 people need immediate relief in Balochistan
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Leader of opposition in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani on Thursday castigated the government for what he alleged “its apathy”
towards carrying out relief operations in the cyclone-devastated areas of Balochistan and Sindh.
Senator Rabbani said in a statement issued here that it was a matter of grave concern that despite early warnings of the cyclone hitting
coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan, the federal and provincial governments miserably failed to mitigate the suffering of people.
"The regime kept making empty announcements but failed to set up relief camps or assist the people in evacuating from the affected areas,"
he alleged.
Rabbani pointed out that in Balochistan today more than 250,000 people had been rendered homeless or severely affected by the cyclone
and were in need of immediate relief, which the government had failed to provide.
He said that people still continued to be marooned and awaited evacuation. At least six union councils in the affected areas had been
completely washed away.
He deplored that the prime minister, federal ministers and chief ministers had not visited the devastated areas or homeless people.
The senator said he contacted Balochistan senators Dr Abdul Malik, Abdul Rahim Mandokhail and Shahid Bugti, who expressed their dismay
over the “government's inaction”.
He called upon the government to immediately undertake extensive operations in Balochistan and Sindh so as to provide relief to the
distressed people, failing which the joint opposition in the Senate would take appropriate measures in this connection.
Cyclone plays havoc in Balochistan
Quetta (Pakistan), June 27, 2007
Tens of thousands of people have moved to safer places after cyclone Yemyin and high tides hit major parts of Balochistan coast and Ormara
on Monday and caused havoc in Pasni and Gwadar towns in southwestern Balochistan province.
The cyclone caused widespread damage but did not claim any life. Home secretary Tariq Ayub said no one died in the cyclone as the
government had taken maximum precautionary measures, forewarned the people and helped them to move to safer places, Dawn
newspaper reported.
As many as nine persons, including a policeman and two Hindu pilgrims to Hinglaj temple, lost their lives in floods and rain-related incidents
in different parts of Balochistan.
The met office’s announcement of a powerful cyclone moving towards the coast caused panic among the people, yesterday, prompting them
to flee to safer places.
Tidal waves lashed the other side of Gwadar coastline inundating the airport area of Shambey Ismail. The tides also lashed the Pasni airport
and adjoining areas.
According to the met office, the cyclone was subsiding and forming into a low pressure causing massive rains. Heavy rains played havoc with
life, property and infrastructure, disrupting Balochistan’s road links with the rest of the country.
The major bridge linking Quetta with Karachi, near Bela Town, was washed away by floods. More than 800 vehicles, passenger coaches,
buses and trucks were stranded.
Quetta Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yusuf said a large number of persons were marooned in Lasbela district and it was impossible for
government officials to provide them immediate relief. — UNI
Quetta (Pakistan), June 27, 2007
Tens of thousands of people have moved to safer places after cyclone Yemyin and high tides hit major parts of Balochistan coast and Ormara
on Monday and caused havoc in Pasni and Gwadar towns in southwestern Balochistan province.
The cyclone caused widespread damage but did not claim any life. Home secretary Tariq Ayub said no one died in the cyclone as the
government had taken maximum precautionary measures, forewarned the people and helped them to move to safer places, Dawn
newspaper reported.
As many as nine persons, including a policeman and two Hindu pilgrims to Hinglaj temple, lost their lives in floods and rain-related incidents
in different parts of Balochistan.
The met office’s announcement of a powerful cyclone moving towards the coast caused panic among the people, yesterday, prompting them
to flee to safer places.
Tidal waves lashed the other side of Gwadar coastline inundating the airport area of Shambey Ismail. The tides also lashed the Pasni airport
and adjoining areas.
According to the met office, the cyclone was subsiding and forming into a low pressure causing massive rains. Heavy rains played havoc with
life, property and infrastructure, disrupting Balochistan’s road links with the rest of the country.
The major bridge linking Quetta with Karachi, near Bela Town, was washed away by floods. More than 800 vehicles, passenger coaches,
buses and trucks were stranded.
Quetta Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yusuf said a large number of persons were marooned in Lasbela district and it was impossible for
government officials to provide them immediate relief. — UNI
Cyclone leaves 250,000 homeless
* Dozens killed
* Cyclone Yemyin enters Iran
* UN official blames bad weather on global warming
QUETTA/GWADAR: Some 250,000 people were left homeless by a cyclone that lashed the coast of Balochistan and killed 22 people in the
province on Wednesday.
Torrential rains accompanying Cyclone Yemyeni also inundated dozens of villages and towns in Balochistan and disrupted rail services,
communication links and utilities. Twelve people drowned in flood waters in Kalatuk in Turbat district, four in Gwadar, three in Bolan, two in
Dalbandin and one in Noshki. Hundreds of people were also injured in their homes when in roof collapses.
The cyclone and the rain left around 250,000 people homeless, said Khuda Bakhsh Baloch, the relief commissioner of Balochistan. People
in Kech, one of the worst-affected districts, were said to be stranded by the floods on roof tops and trees.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz ordered the immediate airlift of blankets, food, tents and medicine to the affected districts, which were rendered
inaccessible by road as the Makran Coastal Highway and RCD Highway had been badly damaged and several bridges washed away.
Continuing rain also hampered aid efforts by air.
“People need more assistance. We have relief helicopters ready but the weather is not permitting,” said Balochistan government spokesman
Raziq Bugti.
A journalist from Turbat told Daily Times that the situation in the district was worsening as no medical and food aid had reached the area.
Train services between Quetta and Sibi, and Quetta and Zahidan in Iran, were suspended because of damage to rail track, while flash floods
ruptured the main gas supply line to Quetta near Dhadar. Flash floods also washed away several dams, which inundated a major portion of
land in the Makran region, Balochistan Minister Syed Sherjan Balochih told APP.
Meteorological Department chief Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry said the weather was improving after the cyclone moved northwest into Iran
overnight.
In Karachi, one person was electrocuted by power lines overnight, hospital officials said. Officials say another eight have been killed in Sindh
province. Online reported that 13 fishermen in the Shah Bandar region drowned, while 89 had gone missing in the Hawkes Bay area.
Rescuers were also trying to evacuate thousands of people from fishing villages on islands off the Sindh coast. Around 150 families were
evacuated from the banks of the Malir river in Karachi as it swelled from five days of rain.
UN disaster prevention official Salvano Briceno said in Geneva that the recent extreme weather in Pakistan and elsewhere was only a taste of
what could happen in future through global warming. staff report and agencies.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C06%5C28%5Cstory_28-6-2007_pg1_1
* Dozens killed
* Cyclone Yemyin enters Iran
* UN official blames bad weather on global warming
QUETTA/GWADAR: Some 250,000 people were left homeless by a cyclone that lashed the coast of Balochistan and killed 22 people in the
province on Wednesday.
Torrential rains accompanying Cyclone Yemyeni also inundated dozens of villages and towns in Balochistan and disrupted rail services,
communication links and utilities. Twelve people drowned in flood waters in Kalatuk in Turbat district, four in Gwadar, three in Bolan, two in
Dalbandin and one in Noshki. Hundreds of people were also injured in their homes when in roof collapses.
The cyclone and the rain left around 250,000 people homeless, said Khuda Bakhsh Baloch, the relief commissioner of Balochistan. People
in Kech, one of the worst-affected districts, were said to be stranded by the floods on roof tops and trees.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz ordered the immediate airlift of blankets, food, tents and medicine to the affected districts, which were rendered
inaccessible by road as the Makran Coastal Highway and RCD Highway had been badly damaged and several bridges washed away.
Continuing rain also hampered aid efforts by air.
“People need more assistance. We have relief helicopters ready but the weather is not permitting,” said Balochistan government spokesman
Raziq Bugti.
A journalist from Turbat told Daily Times that the situation in the district was worsening as no medical and food aid had reached the area.
Train services between Quetta and Sibi, and Quetta and Zahidan in Iran, were suspended because of damage to rail track, while flash floods
ruptured the main gas supply line to Quetta near Dhadar. Flash floods also washed away several dams, which inundated a major portion of
land in the Makran region, Balochistan Minister Syed Sherjan Balochih told APP.
Meteorological Department chief Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry said the weather was improving after the cyclone moved northwest into Iran
overnight.
In Karachi, one person was electrocuted by power lines overnight, hospital officials said. Officials say another eight have been killed in Sindh
province. Online reported that 13 fishermen in the Shah Bandar region drowned, while 89 had gone missing in the Hawkes Bay area.
Rescuers were also trying to evacuate thousands of people from fishing villages on islands off the Sindh coast. Around 150 families were
evacuated from the banks of the Malir river in Karachi as it swelled from five days of rain.
UN disaster prevention official Salvano Briceno said in Geneva that the recent extreme weather in Pakistan and elsewhere was only a taste of
what could happen in future through global warming. staff report and agencies.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C06%5C28%5Cstory_28-6-2007_pg1_1
Over 900,000 marooned in Balochistan
Troops join rescue work; Sibi inundated; floods wash away roads, several bridges
SIBI: The armed forces joined efforts on Thursday to help up to 900,000 people affected by a cyclone as more rain exacerbated flooding and
hampered airborne rescue and relief operations.
The cyclone and subsequent flooding in Balochistan have killed 25 people. Rising water levels inundated a fourth district, Sibi, on Thursday.
Three others were severely flooded, said Balochistan Relief Commissioner Khuda Bukhsh Baloch. “Due to torrential rains, a seasonal river
has started overflowing and 20 to 25 villages have been inundated. According to our estimates, about 15,000 people have been affected,”
Baloch said, adding, “In all, roughly, 900,000 people have been affected.”
The floods have washed away stretches of roads and several bridges, and cut communications and power supplies. Floods also severed a
gas pipeline, cutting supplies to Quetta, he said, adding an accurate, updated death toll was not possible because telephone links to remote
areas had been cut and mobile coverage was not available there.
The military sent aircraft, including 13 helicopters and three C-130 aircraft, to reinforce civilian rescue and relief operations, although, the rain
prevented much flying and many areas were still cut off.
Illustrating the conditions facing rescuers, Minister for Communications Shamim Siddiqui was caught in heavy rains while trying to reach the
affected area in a helicopter and was forced back to Karachi.
In one of the hardest-hit areas, the city of Turbat and surrounding villages, the first relief supplies reached some 48 hours after the cyclone
hit, triggering the Nazim to hand in his resignation and angry residents to protest.
Four military aircraft also landed at Turbat and a nearby town early on Thursday carrying relief goods and medicines. Some residents said
that they had not eaten anything in two days, expressing fear of outbreak of diseases from dead animals and polluted water sources. “We
have been saved from the flood but we may die of starvation,” said Mohammed Kash, a teacher at a rural school for 150 children, many of
whom were crying.
From a helicopter, an Associated Press reporter saw only the tops of palm trees protruding from under vast sheets of water in some areas. In
other areas, people, cows and goats were stranded on rooftops, without water or food and
sweltering in 43 degree Centigrade heat. “We need tents, food, medicine. All the resources we had are already exhausted. The response
from the provincial and government is poor. In protest, I have handed in my resignation,” said Turbat Nazim Abdul Rauf Rind. Rind estimated
that about 100,000 people in the urban area and surrounding villages had been stranded.
Hafiz Tahir, a district officer, said casualties could go over 100 but it would be impossible to determine the death toll until the water receded. A
20-year-old woman, marooned alone in her house for two days, was washed away on Thursday and confirmed dead, while Tahir said there
was no trace of a wedding party of 50 people, mostly women and children, who were on their way to Turbat when the flooding began. Officials
said two bodies were found in the branches of a floating tree north of Turbat.
The situation at a swollen dam near Turbat was still “critical” with water above the danger level, said a statement, adding a battalion of
engineers was working to shore up the site. However, a Wapda spokesman insisted the recent rains could not damage the Mirani dam and
said the water level had started receding.
“Mirani dam is completely safe and there is no crack found in the dam. Water level also started reducing after touching the danger mark,” the
spokesman told Geo News. The Army said it had evacuated more than 600 families in the water-ringed city of 150,000. These included 36
from the rooftop of a mosque who were lifted by harnesses into two hovering helicopters shortly before the roof collapsed. Another 300 were
evacuated from nearby Bela.
A Navy helicopter rescued 40 people marooned on a rooftop near Turbat and two other choppers were evacuating car and bus passengers
from the coastal highway, which was partly washed away by storm surges. In a separate rescue operation, 35 Chinese workers at the
seaport of Gwadar were ferried to higher ground, said Navy Rear Admiral Mahmood Khan.
Navy warships and helicopters have rescued, at least, 125 crewmen from foundering craft, the Navy and the Maritime Security Agency said. A
statement from the Army said troops were repairing washed outstretches of the vital coastal highway as well as railway tracks. —Agencies
Muhammad Ejaz Khan adds from Quetta: The death toll in the recent heavy rains and the flash flood continued to rise as, at least, six more
persons, including a girl and a woman, were killed while over 16 people were injured in fresh rain-related incidents in Harnai and Chaghai
on Thursday.
Reports said that several villages in Bolan, Chaghai, Kharan, Sibi and other districts are submerged in the rain and flood waters, causing
damages to the houses and leaving a large number of population homeless.
Four people of the same family were killed and over 16 injured when the roof of their house collapsed in Killi Shor of Harnai. There are
reports of more roof collapses in Harnai area but it was not clear anyone had died or was injured in these incidents. Two persons were
swept away in the flood waters in Dalbandin.
Traffic to and from Iran remained suspended, when a portion of the road between Quetta and Taftan was washed away in flood. The traffic
between Sibi and Bolan is also suspended after a bridge collapsed in the Bolan Pass. Hundreds of passengers are stranded in the Bolan
Pass due to the suspension of the traffic.
The sources said that the FC relief teams had rescued over 500 people from Killi Bangulzai of Mithri. The sources said that the relief activities
would be launched in other affected areas as soon as the situation becomes normal.
Rail service on the Sibi-Quetta section, which was suspended due to the damage of the track in the heavy rains and flash flood, was restored
on Thursday. Meanwhile, inclement weather blocked efforts for rescuing some 400 marooned people in Hangol area and prevented the Army
helicopters from launching relief operation in rain-and flood-affected Jhal Magsi, Sibi, Dhadhar, Bolan Naseerabad and Jaffarabad districts,
the Balochistan home secretary said on Thursday.
The home secretary, who is also the focal person for the relief operation in the province, said he hoped the relief operation in these areas
could be launched as early as Friday. “The helicopters could not reach Jhal Magsi, Sibi, Dhadhar, Bolan, Naseerabad and Jaffarabad
districts and returned,” he told a news conference on Thursday. Rescue teams have not yet rescued some 400 people marooned on the
Coastal Highway in the Hingol area because of the bad weather conditions and no road access. He did not give any data about the
causalities caused due to the heavy rains and flash floods in the province, but said the “casualty figure is not alarming”. Repair work on the
Coastal Highway and the RCD Highway is continuing and the traffic could be restored once the repair work is over, he said.
He said some 30 people were rescued from the rooftop of a mosque in Solo Bandar area of Kech just “five minutes before the roof caved in”.
The home secretary said the government had enough resources to cope with the situation. “A grant of Rs 10 million each would be given to
Jhal Magsi, Sibi, Turbat, Lasbela and Gwadar, while Rs 5 million each to Jaffarabad and Naseerabad for carrying out relief activities.” He said
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will visit Turbat on Saturday (tomorrow) to personally review the flood situation.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=8728
Troops join rescue work; Sibi inundated; floods wash away roads, several bridges
SIBI: The armed forces joined efforts on Thursday to help up to 900,000 people affected by a cyclone as more rain exacerbated flooding and
hampered airborne rescue and relief operations.
The cyclone and subsequent flooding in Balochistan have killed 25 people. Rising water levels inundated a fourth district, Sibi, on Thursday.
Three others were severely flooded, said Balochistan Relief Commissioner Khuda Bukhsh Baloch. “Due to torrential rains, a seasonal river
has started overflowing and 20 to 25 villages have been inundated. According to our estimates, about 15,000 people have been affected,”
Baloch said, adding, “In all, roughly, 900,000 people have been affected.”
The floods have washed away stretches of roads and several bridges, and cut communications and power supplies. Floods also severed a
gas pipeline, cutting supplies to Quetta, he said, adding an accurate, updated death toll was not possible because telephone links to remote
areas had been cut and mobile coverage was not available there.
The military sent aircraft, including 13 helicopters and three C-130 aircraft, to reinforce civilian rescue and relief operations, although, the rain
prevented much flying and many areas were still cut off.
Illustrating the conditions facing rescuers, Minister for Communications Shamim Siddiqui was caught in heavy rains while trying to reach the
affected area in a helicopter and was forced back to Karachi.
In one of the hardest-hit areas, the city of Turbat and surrounding villages, the first relief supplies reached some 48 hours after the cyclone
hit, triggering the Nazim to hand in his resignation and angry residents to protest.
Four military aircraft also landed at Turbat and a nearby town early on Thursday carrying relief goods and medicines. Some residents said
that they had not eaten anything in two days, expressing fear of outbreak of diseases from dead animals and polluted water sources. “We
have been saved from the flood but we may die of starvation,” said Mohammed Kash, a teacher at a rural school for 150 children, many of
whom were crying.
From a helicopter, an Associated Press reporter saw only the tops of palm trees protruding from under vast sheets of water in some areas. In
other areas, people, cows and goats were stranded on rooftops, without water or food and
sweltering in 43 degree Centigrade heat. “We need tents, food, medicine. All the resources we had are already exhausted. The response
from the provincial and government is poor. In protest, I have handed in my resignation,” said Turbat Nazim Abdul Rauf Rind. Rind estimated
that about 100,000 people in the urban area and surrounding villages had been stranded.
Hafiz Tahir, a district officer, said casualties could go over 100 but it would be impossible to determine the death toll until the water receded. A
20-year-old woman, marooned alone in her house for two days, was washed away on Thursday and confirmed dead, while Tahir said there
was no trace of a wedding party of 50 people, mostly women and children, who were on their way to Turbat when the flooding began. Officials
said two bodies were found in the branches of a floating tree north of Turbat.
The situation at a swollen dam near Turbat was still “critical” with water above the danger level, said a statement, adding a battalion of
engineers was working to shore up the site. However, a Wapda spokesman insisted the recent rains could not damage the Mirani dam and
said the water level had started receding.
“Mirani dam is completely safe and there is no crack found in the dam. Water level also started reducing after touching the danger mark,” the
spokesman told Geo News. The Army said it had evacuated more than 600 families in the water-ringed city of 150,000. These included 36
from the rooftop of a mosque who were lifted by harnesses into two hovering helicopters shortly before the roof collapsed. Another 300 were
evacuated from nearby Bela.
A Navy helicopter rescued 40 people marooned on a rooftop near Turbat and two other choppers were evacuating car and bus passengers
from the coastal highway, which was partly washed away by storm surges. In a separate rescue operation, 35 Chinese workers at the
seaport of Gwadar were ferried to higher ground, said Navy Rear Admiral Mahmood Khan.
Navy warships and helicopters have rescued, at least, 125 crewmen from foundering craft, the Navy and the Maritime Security Agency said. A
statement from the Army said troops were repairing washed outstretches of the vital coastal highway as well as railway tracks. —Agencies
Muhammad Ejaz Khan adds from Quetta: The death toll in the recent heavy rains and the flash flood continued to rise as, at least, six more
persons, including a girl and a woman, were killed while over 16 people were injured in fresh rain-related incidents in Harnai and Chaghai
on Thursday.
Reports said that several villages in Bolan, Chaghai, Kharan, Sibi and other districts are submerged in the rain and flood waters, causing
damages to the houses and leaving a large number of population homeless.
Four people of the same family were killed and over 16 injured when the roof of their house collapsed in Killi Shor of Harnai. There are
reports of more roof collapses in Harnai area but it was not clear anyone had died or was injured in these incidents. Two persons were
swept away in the flood waters in Dalbandin.
Traffic to and from Iran remained suspended, when a portion of the road between Quetta and Taftan was washed away in flood. The traffic
between Sibi and Bolan is also suspended after a bridge collapsed in the Bolan Pass. Hundreds of passengers are stranded in the Bolan
Pass due to the suspension of the traffic.
The sources said that the FC relief teams had rescued over 500 people from Killi Bangulzai of Mithri. The sources said that the relief activities
would be launched in other affected areas as soon as the situation becomes normal.
Rail service on the Sibi-Quetta section, which was suspended due to the damage of the track in the heavy rains and flash flood, was restored
on Thursday. Meanwhile, inclement weather blocked efforts for rescuing some 400 marooned people in Hangol area and prevented the Army
helicopters from launching relief operation in rain-and flood-affected Jhal Magsi, Sibi, Dhadhar, Bolan Naseerabad and Jaffarabad districts,
the Balochistan home secretary said on Thursday.
The home secretary, who is also the focal person for the relief operation in the province, said he hoped the relief operation in these areas
could be launched as early as Friday. “The helicopters could not reach Jhal Magsi, Sibi, Dhadhar, Bolan, Naseerabad and Jaffarabad
districts and returned,” he told a news conference on Thursday. Rescue teams have not yet rescued some 400 people marooned on the
Coastal Highway in the Hingol area because of the bad weather conditions and no road access. He did not give any data about the
causalities caused due to the heavy rains and flash floods in the province, but said the “casualty figure is not alarming”. Repair work on the
Coastal Highway and the RCD Highway is continuing and the traffic could be restored once the repair work is over, he said.
He said some 30 people were rescued from the rooftop of a mosque in Solo Bandar area of Kech just “five minutes before the roof caved in”.
The home secretary said the government had enough resources to cope with the situation. “A grant of Rs 10 million each would be given to
Jhal Magsi, Sibi, Turbat, Lasbela and Gwadar, while Rs 5 million each to Jaffarabad and Naseerabad for carrying out relief activities.” He said
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will visit Turbat on Saturday (tomorrow) to personally review the flood situation.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=8728
Cyclone plays havoc in Balochistan
Quetta (Pakistan), June 27
Tens of thousands of people have moved to safer places after cyclone Yemyin and high tides hit major parts of Balochistan coast and
Ormara on Monday and caused havoc in Pasni and Gwadar towns in southwestern Balochistan province.
The cyclone caused widespread damage but did not claim any life. Home secretary Tariq Ayub said no one died in the cyclone as the
government had taken maximum precautionary measures, forewarned the people and helped them to move to safer places, Dawn
newspaper reported.
As many as nine persons, including a policeman and two Hindu pilgrims to Hinglaj temple, lost their lives in floods and rain-related incidents
in different parts of Balochistan.The met office’s announcement of a powerful cyclone moving towards the coast caused panic among the
people, yesterday, prompting them to flee to safer places.
Tidal waves lashed the other side of Gwadar coastline inundating the airport area of Shambey Ismail. The tides also lashed the Pasni airport
and adjoining areas.According to the met office, the cyclone was subsiding and forming into a low pressure causing massive rains. Heavy
rains played havoc with life, property and infrastructure, disrupting Balochistan’s road links with the rest of the country.
The major bridge linking Quetta with Karachi, near Bela Town, was washed away by floods. More than 800 vehicles, passenger coaches,
buses and trucks were stranded.
Quetta Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yusuf said a large number of persons were marooned in Lasbela district and it was impossible
for government officials to provide them immediate relief. — UNI
#1
Quetta (Pakistan), June 27
Tens of thousands of people have moved to safer places after cyclone Yemyin and high tides hit major parts of Balochistan coast and
Ormara on Monday and caused havoc in Pasni and Gwadar towns in southwestern Balochistan province.
The cyclone caused widespread damage but did not claim any life. Home secretary Tariq Ayub said no one died in the cyclone as the
government had taken maximum precautionary measures, forewarned the people and helped them to move to safer places, Dawn
newspaper reported.
As many as nine persons, including a policeman and two Hindu pilgrims to Hinglaj temple, lost their lives in floods and rain-related incidents
in different parts of Balochistan.The met office’s announcement of a powerful cyclone moving towards the coast caused panic among the
people, yesterday, prompting them to flee to safer places.
Tidal waves lashed the other side of Gwadar coastline inundating the airport area of Shambey Ismail. The tides also lashed the Pasni airport
and adjoining areas.According to the met office, the cyclone was subsiding and forming into a low pressure causing massive rains. Heavy
rains played havoc with life, property and infrastructure, disrupting Balochistan’s road links with the rest of the country.
The major bridge linking Quetta with Karachi, near Bela Town, was washed away by floods. More than 800 vehicles, passenger coaches,
buses and trucks were stranded.
Quetta Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yusuf said a large number of persons were marooned in Lasbela district and it was impossible
for government officials to provide them immediate relief. — UNI
#1
PAKISTAN: Rains leave 100,000 homeless in Balochistan
28 Jun 2007
QUETTA, 28 June 2007 (IRIN) - Rains triggered by the cyclone that hit coastal areas of Pakistan this week have continued across Balochistan
Province in the southwest of the country, home to some eight million of Pakistan's estimated 150 million people.
The unusually heavy rains have created havoc across an area ill-prepared for them, unleashing torrents and floods that have swept away
entire villages, according to some reports. Road links across the province have been cut, making both communication and rescue work
extremely arduous, witnesses said.
Some of the worst impact of the disaster has been seen in the southwestern district of Kech, around 400km west of Karachi and with a
population of some 750,000 people.
The nearby Soorab Dam burst its banks, and water flowing downstream reportedly entered the town of Turbat on 28 June. Waves of water
quickly swamped it. Panic-stricken people in the area took shelter on the roofs of tall buildings, including mosques, and in the hills.
The larger Meerani Dam, on the River Dasht, 30km southwest of Turbat, is said to be in a precarious situation and there are fears it could
overflow. Local authorities on 28 June began moving people to higher ground, while a state of emergency was declared in the worst affected
districts.
Fears that other reservoirs could be flooded have led to thousands across the province fleeing their homes. "The whole province is in crisis,"
Farid Ahmed, the provincial coordinator for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), told IRIN in Quetta.
Some 250,000 people affected
"About 250,000 people have been affected by the rains and the cyclone. We are trying to send in what help we can using helicopters,"
provincial relief commissioner Khuda Baksh Baloch told IRIN.
Twenty four people have been reported dead in the province as a result of the floods, but there are fears the number could rise dramatically as
the fate of missing persons becomes clear. Reports say that river waters have swept away entire villages in the Turbat area.
A passenger bus carrying a wedding party to Buleida, to the north of Kech District, has reportedly vanished and is believed to have been
washed away. At least 30 people were travelling on the bus.
"Vast tracts of Balochistan are affected. It is impossible to communicate with areas either by land or by telephone. The towns of Dadhar,
Gandawa and Jhal Magsi, lying between 100 and 280km southeast of Quetta, are all under water because of burst reservoirs or hill torrents,"
Farid Ahmed said.
There was "panic" across the province, with people in Quetta unable to contact their families in villages south of the provincial capital, he said.
Aisar Baloch, 35, a resident of Turbat currently visiting Quetta told IRIN his family members were "virtually marooned" and "no help has
reached them". He said he was able to establish contact over a mobile phone.
There are also reports that villages in the Mashkhel District, lying to the northeast of Balochistan on its border with Punjab, as well as in the
Kharan District which lies south of Quetta, have been submerged.
Over 100,000 homeless
According to initial estimates, at least 100,000 people have been left homeless, but confusion and a lack of communication means district
authorities have faced problems in compiling details.
A spokesman for the Balochistan government, Razik Bugti, said: "Army and navy helicopters are busy rescuing people from rooftops and other
high areas."
Meanwhile high winds and rain meant that the sea along coastal areas remained turbulent. Ten boats were reported missing and with
people feared drowned off the coast city of Ormara on 28 June, and dozens of others had been damaged.
"We are continuing to issue warnings and rescue people marooned along the coast or at sea," a spokesman for the Pakistan navy said
28 Jun 2007
QUETTA, 28 June 2007 (IRIN) - Rains triggered by the cyclone that hit coastal areas of Pakistan this week have continued across Balochistan
Province in the southwest of the country, home to some eight million of Pakistan's estimated 150 million people.
The unusually heavy rains have created havoc across an area ill-prepared for them, unleashing torrents and floods that have swept away
entire villages, according to some reports. Road links across the province have been cut, making both communication and rescue work
extremely arduous, witnesses said.
Some of the worst impact of the disaster has been seen in the southwestern district of Kech, around 400km west of Karachi and with a
population of some 750,000 people.
The nearby Soorab Dam burst its banks, and water flowing downstream reportedly entered the town of Turbat on 28 June. Waves of water
quickly swamped it. Panic-stricken people in the area took shelter on the roofs of tall buildings, including mosques, and in the hills.
The larger Meerani Dam, on the River Dasht, 30km southwest of Turbat, is said to be in a precarious situation and there are fears it could
overflow. Local authorities on 28 June began moving people to higher ground, while a state of emergency was declared in the worst affected
districts.
Fears that other reservoirs could be flooded have led to thousands across the province fleeing their homes. "The whole province is in crisis,"
Farid Ahmed, the provincial coordinator for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), told IRIN in Quetta.
Some 250,000 people affected
"About 250,000 people have been affected by the rains and the cyclone. We are trying to send in what help we can using helicopters,"
provincial relief commissioner Khuda Baksh Baloch told IRIN.
Twenty four people have been reported dead in the province as a result of the floods, but there are fears the number could rise dramatically as
the fate of missing persons becomes clear. Reports say that river waters have swept away entire villages in the Turbat area.
A passenger bus carrying a wedding party to Buleida, to the north of Kech District, has reportedly vanished and is believed to have been
washed away. At least 30 people were travelling on the bus.
"Vast tracts of Balochistan are affected. It is impossible to communicate with areas either by land or by telephone. The towns of Dadhar,
Gandawa and Jhal Magsi, lying between 100 and 280km southeast of Quetta, are all under water because of burst reservoirs or hill torrents,"
Farid Ahmed said.
There was "panic" across the province, with people in Quetta unable to contact their families in villages south of the provincial capital, he said.
Aisar Baloch, 35, a resident of Turbat currently visiting Quetta told IRIN his family members were "virtually marooned" and "no help has
reached them". He said he was able to establish contact over a mobile phone.
There are also reports that villages in the Mashkhel District, lying to the northeast of Balochistan on its border with Punjab, as well as in the
Kharan District which lies south of Quetta, have been submerged.
Over 100,000 homeless
According to initial estimates, at least 100,000 people have been left homeless, but confusion and a lack of communication means district
authorities have faced problems in compiling details.
A spokesman for the Balochistan government, Razik Bugti, said: "Army and navy helicopters are busy rescuing people from rooftops and other
high areas."
Meanwhile high winds and rain meant that the sea along coastal areas remained turbulent. Ten boats were reported missing and with
people feared drowned off the coast city of Ormara on 28 June, and dozens of others had been damaged.
"We are continuing to issue warnings and rescue people marooned along the coast or at sea," a spokesman for the Pakistan navy said
Cyclone adds to Balochistan’s misery
Many people have been left with nowhere to live.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from along Balochistan’s Sea coast to escape a cyclone which is bringing more chaos to the
south of the country. The navy is searching for a number of boats missing or sunk in the storms.
Officials say cyclone Yemyin is losing strength and has now hit Balochistan province, sparing much of Karachi.
Heavy rain in Pakistan's biggest city in recent days has left at least 200 dead. Reports of damage to coastal areas near Karachi are still
coming in. Emergency Cyclone Yemyin made landfall in Balochistan province at about 1100 local time (0600 GMT) on Tuesday, bringing rain,
flooding and winds of up to 80mph (130 kph). Officials say that several people have been killed and many were missing on Tuesday. They
say that while the storm's intensity is decreasing, heavy rain will continue for the next few hours along different parts of Pakistan's southern
coast. Heavy flooding has been reported in and around the town of Pasni, about 400km (250 miles) west of Karachi, and water has also
washed away part of the coastal highway linking southern Balochistan with the rest of the country. Fishermen say more than 200 fishing
boats anchored along the coast have been destroyed in the storms. Warnings of coastal flooding have prompted many people to leave their
homes.
The mayor of the port of Gwadar said most of its 120,000 residents had moved to higher ground.
"We have imposed an emergency in the district and asked the army and other forces to be on alert," Mayor Abdul Ghaffar Hoth told the
Associated Press news agency. Unconfirmed reports say a number of Hindu pilgrims may have been killed in the heavy rains in Lasbella
district as they travelled to a shrine. Out to sea, Pakistan Navy vessels and helicopters are searching for dozens of people reported missing
in the storms. A navy spokesman said at least one fishing trawler had sunk and its 12 crew members had been rescued by a navy vessel.
Destruction Days of heavy rain in southern India and Pakistan have left several hundred people dead.
Much of Karachi, which has been worst hit by the weather, is still without power and water.
Officials have been evacuating residents from shanty towns in the city, where badly-built homes collapsed or were washed away by the
torrential rain. More than 140 have been killed in the rains in India, where people are also being moved from low-lying areas with more
flooding forecast in many areas. There have also been a number of deaths in Afghanistan
Thousands have been left homeless by the cyclone. Bad weather is hampering efforts to rescue more than 250,000 people stranded after a
cyclone struck Pakistan's Arabian Sea coastline. Many people are clinging to trees and rooftops to escape floods and are now cut off by
rising water. Roads, bridges and phone links are hit in many places. Relief officials say dozens of villages are under water and some 20,000
homes have been destroyed or damaged. In neighbouring Afghanistan, more than 100 people have died in the floods. Hundreds of people
have been killed in rain and floods in South Asia in recent days, more than 200 of them in Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi. Army and navy
helicopters have managed to drop some relief aid to flood victims in Pakistan's Balochistan province, but the military say many rescue flights
have been frustrated by the elements. The entire town has been inundated and people have taken refuge in tall buildings and trees Rauf
Rind Mayor of Kech
Human cost of storms
A government aircraft flew over coastal areas on Thursday and spotted people trapped on the roof of a mosque in Turbat, headquarters of
Kech district which has been badly hit. The stranded residents were later rescued by two helicopters, officials said. Thousands of people in
the coastal areas of Ormara, Pasni, Gwadar and Jiwani lost their homes after cyclone Yemyin struck the Balochistan coast, west of Karachi,
on Tuesday.
More than 100 fishermen have been rescued by Pakistan's navy
Many people in low-lying areas were evacuated to higher ground ahead of the cyclone.
Reports say at least 20 people have been killed since Tuesday, although officials are confirming only two deaths.
Hundreds of motorists were stranded on the coastal highway which links southern Balochistan with the rest of Pakistan. Parts of the road
were washed away by the cyclone.
Pakistan's navy says it has airlifted food and emergency supplies to the motorists. Elsewhere, people say they have yet to see any help. "We
are hungry, we are thirsty, the authorities say they are sending helicopters but we have not seen any," Hamal Baloch, a resident of Kech, told
AFP news agency.
'Out of control' At least one small dam near the town of Pasni burst on Tuesday, inundating dozens of villages.
The floods are also threatening the Mirani dam in Kech district, reports say. One unconfirmed report said water from the dam had overflowed
into the area and drowned 12 people. "The situation is out of our hands, it's out of control. The entire town has been inundated and people
have taken refuge in tall buildings and trees," the mayor of Kech, Rauf Rind, told Reuters news agency. A senior Afghan official, Abdul Matin
Edrak, told the BBC that the majority of deaths had been reported from Ruukha district in northern Panjshir province. Some 500 of 2,500
people stranded in the flood-affected province of Kunar had been rescued by helicopters, officials said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6247884.stm
Many people have been left with nowhere to live.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from along Balochistan’s Sea coast to escape a cyclone which is bringing more chaos to the
south of the country. The navy is searching for a number of boats missing or sunk in the storms.
Officials say cyclone Yemyin is losing strength and has now hit Balochistan province, sparing much of Karachi.
Heavy rain in Pakistan's biggest city in recent days has left at least 200 dead. Reports of damage to coastal areas near Karachi are still
coming in. Emergency Cyclone Yemyin made landfall in Balochistan province at about 1100 local time (0600 GMT) on Tuesday, bringing rain,
flooding and winds of up to 80mph (130 kph). Officials say that several people have been killed and many were missing on Tuesday. They
say that while the storm's intensity is decreasing, heavy rain will continue for the next few hours along different parts of Pakistan's southern
coast. Heavy flooding has been reported in and around the town of Pasni, about 400km (250 miles) west of Karachi, and water has also
washed away part of the coastal highway linking southern Balochistan with the rest of the country. Fishermen say more than 200 fishing
boats anchored along the coast have been destroyed in the storms. Warnings of coastal flooding have prompted many people to leave their
homes.
The mayor of the port of Gwadar said most of its 120,000 residents had moved to higher ground.
"We have imposed an emergency in the district and asked the army and other forces to be on alert," Mayor Abdul Ghaffar Hoth told the
Associated Press news agency. Unconfirmed reports say a number of Hindu pilgrims may have been killed in the heavy rains in Lasbella
district as they travelled to a shrine. Out to sea, Pakistan Navy vessels and helicopters are searching for dozens of people reported missing
in the storms. A navy spokesman said at least one fishing trawler had sunk and its 12 crew members had been rescued by a navy vessel.
Destruction Days of heavy rain in southern India and Pakistan have left several hundred people dead.
Much of Karachi, which has been worst hit by the weather, is still without power and water.
Officials have been evacuating residents from shanty towns in the city, where badly-built homes collapsed or were washed away by the
torrential rain. More than 140 have been killed in the rains in India, where people are also being moved from low-lying areas with more
flooding forecast in many areas. There have also been a number of deaths in Afghanistan
Thousands have been left homeless by the cyclone. Bad weather is hampering efforts to rescue more than 250,000 people stranded after a
cyclone struck Pakistan's Arabian Sea coastline. Many people are clinging to trees and rooftops to escape floods and are now cut off by
rising water. Roads, bridges and phone links are hit in many places. Relief officials say dozens of villages are under water and some 20,000
homes have been destroyed or damaged. In neighbouring Afghanistan, more than 100 people have died in the floods. Hundreds of people
have been killed in rain and floods in South Asia in recent days, more than 200 of them in Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi. Army and navy
helicopters have managed to drop some relief aid to flood victims in Pakistan's Balochistan province, but the military say many rescue flights
have been frustrated by the elements. The entire town has been inundated and people have taken refuge in tall buildings and trees Rauf
Rind Mayor of Kech
Human cost of storms
A government aircraft flew over coastal areas on Thursday and spotted people trapped on the roof of a mosque in Turbat, headquarters of
Kech district which has been badly hit. The stranded residents were later rescued by two helicopters, officials said. Thousands of people in
the coastal areas of Ormara, Pasni, Gwadar and Jiwani lost their homes after cyclone Yemyin struck the Balochistan coast, west of Karachi,
on Tuesday.
More than 100 fishermen have been rescued by Pakistan's navy
Many people in low-lying areas were evacuated to higher ground ahead of the cyclone.
Reports say at least 20 people have been killed since Tuesday, although officials are confirming only two deaths.
Hundreds of motorists were stranded on the coastal highway which links southern Balochistan with the rest of Pakistan. Parts of the road
were washed away by the cyclone.
Pakistan's navy says it has airlifted food and emergency supplies to the motorists. Elsewhere, people say they have yet to see any help. "We
are hungry, we are thirsty, the authorities say they are sending helicopters but we have not seen any," Hamal Baloch, a resident of Kech, told
AFP news agency.
'Out of control' At least one small dam near the town of Pasni burst on Tuesday, inundating dozens of villages.
The floods are also threatening the Mirani dam in Kech district, reports say. One unconfirmed report said water from the dam had overflowed
into the area and drowned 12 people. "The situation is out of our hands, it's out of control. The entire town has been inundated and people
have taken refuge in tall buildings and trees," the mayor of Kech, Rauf Rind, told Reuters news agency. A senior Afghan official, Abdul Matin
Edrak, told the BBC that the majority of deaths had been reported from Ruukha district in northern Panjshir province. Some 500 of 2,500
people stranded in the flood-affected province of Kunar had been rescued by helicopters, officials said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6247884.stm
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Cyclone leaves 250,000 homeless
* Dozens killed * Cyclone Yemyin enters Iran * UN official blames bad weather on global warming
QUETTA/GWADAR: Some 250,000 people were left homeless by a cyclone that lashed the coast of Balochistan and killed 22 people in the
province on Wednesday.Torrential rains accompanying Cyclone Yemyeni also inundated dozens of villages and towns in Balochistan and
disrupted rail services, communication links and utilities. Twelve people drowned in flood waters in Kalatuk in Turbat district, four in Gwadar,
three in Bolan, two in Dalbandin and one in Noshki. Hundreds of people were also injured in their homes when in roof collapses.
The cyclone and the rain left around 250,000 people homeless, said Khuda Bakhsh Baloch, the relief commissioner of Balochistan. People in
Kech, one of the worst-affected districts, were said to be stranded by the floods on roof tops and trees.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz ordered the immediate airlift of blankets, food, tents and medicine to the affected districts, which were rendered
inaccessible by road as the Makran Coastal Highway and RCD Highway had been badly damaged and several bridges washed away.
Continuing rain also hampered aid efforts by air.“People need more assistance. We have relief helicopters ready but the weather is not
permitting,” said Balochistan government spokesman Raziq Bugti.
A journalist from Turbat told Daily Times that the situation in the district was worsening as no medical and food aid had reached the area.
Train services between Quetta and Sibi, and Quetta and Zahidan in Iran, were suspended because of damage to rail track, while flash floods
ruptured the main gas supply line to Quetta near Dhadar. Flash floods also washed away several dams, which inundated a major portion of
land in the Makran region, Balochistan Minister Syed Sherjan Balochih told APP.
Meteorological Department chief Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry said the weather was improving after the cyclone moved northwest into Iran
overnight. In Karachi, one person was electrocuted by power lines overnight, hospital officials said. Officials say another eight have been killed
in Sindh province. Online reported that 13 fishermen in the Shah Bandar region drowned, while 89 had gone missing in the Hawkes Bay area.
Rescuers were also trying to evacuate thousands of people from fishing villages on islands off the Sindh coast. Around 150 families were
evacuated from the banks of the Malir river in Karachi as it swelled from five days of rain.
UN disaster prevention official Salvano Briceno said in Geneva that the recent extreme weather in Pakistan and elsewhere was only a taste of
what could happen in future through global warming. staff report and agencies
Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk http://www.pakistanlink.com/Headlines/June07/28/05.htm
* Dozens killed * Cyclone Yemyin enters Iran * UN official blames bad weather on global warming
QUETTA/GWADAR: Some 250,000 people were left homeless by a cyclone that lashed the coast of Balochistan and killed 22 people in the
province on Wednesday.Torrential rains accompanying Cyclone Yemyeni also inundated dozens of villages and towns in Balochistan and
disrupted rail services, communication links and utilities. Twelve people drowned in flood waters in Kalatuk in Turbat district, four in Gwadar,
three in Bolan, two in Dalbandin and one in Noshki. Hundreds of people were also injured in their homes when in roof collapses.
The cyclone and the rain left around 250,000 people homeless, said Khuda Bakhsh Baloch, the relief commissioner of Balochistan. People in
Kech, one of the worst-affected districts, were said to be stranded by the floods on roof tops and trees.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz ordered the immediate airlift of blankets, food, tents and medicine to the affected districts, which were rendered
inaccessible by road as the Makran Coastal Highway and RCD Highway had been badly damaged and several bridges washed away.
Continuing rain also hampered aid efforts by air.“People need more assistance. We have relief helicopters ready but the weather is not
permitting,” said Balochistan government spokesman Raziq Bugti.
A journalist from Turbat told Daily Times that the situation in the district was worsening as no medical and food aid had reached the area.
Train services between Quetta and Sibi, and Quetta and Zahidan in Iran, were suspended because of damage to rail track, while flash floods
ruptured the main gas supply line to Quetta near Dhadar. Flash floods also washed away several dams, which inundated a major portion of
land in the Makran region, Balochistan Minister Syed Sherjan Balochih told APP.
Meteorological Department chief Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry said the weather was improving after the cyclone moved northwest into Iran
overnight. In Karachi, one person was electrocuted by power lines overnight, hospital officials said. Officials say another eight have been killed
in Sindh province. Online reported that 13 fishermen in the Shah Bandar region drowned, while 89 had gone missing in the Hawkes Bay area.
Rescuers were also trying to evacuate thousands of people from fishing villages on islands off the Sindh coast. Around 150 families were
evacuated from the banks of the Malir river in Karachi as it swelled from five days of rain.
UN disaster prevention official Salvano Briceno said in Geneva that the recent extreme weather in Pakistan and elsewhere was only a taste of
what could happen in future through global warming. staff report and agencies
Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk http://www.pakistanlink.com/Headlines/June07/28/05.htm
