RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman sent a cable of condolences to Pakistani President Arif Alvi due to the tragic loss of life after floods swept across a number of regions in the Islamic country, the Saudi Press agency reported early Sunday.
“As we share with you the pain of this affliction, we send to Your Excellency, the families of the deceased and the Pakistani people, our deepest and sincere condolences,” the king said, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also sent a similar cable to the Pakistani president.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan has topped 1,000 since mid-June, as the country braced on Sunday for fresh surges from swollen rivers in the country’s second-largest province of Punjab.
A displaced man wades through a flooded area after fleeing his flood-hit home, on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan. (AP)
Flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains have burst riverbanks and swallowed bridges, washing away villages and fields across the country. The National Disaster Management Authority said 119 people were killed in rain- related incidents over the weekend.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday requested international help in tackling the flood damage as rescuers attempt to free thousands who are stranded in flood-ravaged areas. Sharif who blamed the “horrors of climate change” for the tragedy said the scale of this flooding is worse than that in 2010, when nearly 2,000 people died.
