In Pakistan, a 'disaster of epic proportions'
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By raft through Hyderabad: two young men struggle through the streets of Hyderabad, a city of millions in southern Pakistan, on homemade rafts. According to official figures, the floods, which mainly affect the south, are comparable to those of 2010, when more than 2,000 people died and almost one-fifth of the country was underwater -
Balochistan is cut off: the situation in the southwest of the country is also particularly bad: All four highways connecting Balochistan with the other provinces are either blocked or destroyed. Rail traffic has had to be suspended, and since important fiber-optic cables have been damaged, all communications in the region are also down -
Without shelter: about 220,000 houses were destroyed, and 33 million people are without a permanent home. This family in Balochistan has taken refuge on a hill. Surrounded by water, they have built a makeshift hut. The National Disaster Management Authority is in the process of setting up 2 million emergency shelters, a spokesman said. Destroyed bridges and roads complicate the situation -
In the rain: a man asks for alms with his monkey in Hyderabad. In view of the dramatic situation, the Pakistani military has also launched a nationwide appeal for donations and declared that each officer will donate one month's salary -
More rain expected: experts blame climate change for the significant increase in natural disasters in the South Asian country. The country will be better rebuilt together, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced confidently on state television. But the first priority must be to prevent further casualties, because meteorologists are predicting more rain