M0n 29 August 2022:
Pope Francis Sunday called for international cooperation to help Pakistan which is battered by heavy monsoon rains and massive floods.
“I pray for the numerous victims, for the wounded and those forced from their homes, and that international solidarity might be prompt and generous,” the pontiff said in a statement issued by the Vatican press office.
He added: “In this place that suffered a harsh calamity, I want to assure the people of Pakistan, hit by floods of disastrous proportions, of my nearness.”
Pakistan reached over 1,000 deaths in rain-related incidents, which have been triggered by torrential rains and swirling floods across the country since mid-June.
Constant rains and raging floods have already destroyed a large chunk of infrastructure and agricultural lands across the country, including tens of thousands of houses, roads, and bridges, and washed away nearly a million animals.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Sunday, more than 809,000 hectares (two million acres) of cultivated crops have been wiped out, 3,451 kilometres (2,150 miles) of roads destroyed, and 149 bridges washed away.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – among other leaders – spoke to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over the grim flood situation.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted his support for Pakistan. “France stands ready to provide help,” he said in this tweet.
The Qatar Red Crescent Society on Saturday announced the allocation of $100,000 for the flood victims.
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