The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives due to cloudburst-induced flash floods in India and Pakistan.
According to officials from both countries, so far, a total of 417 people have lost their lives in the calamity. Some 1375 people have been rescued by the rescue and relief teams in both countries, with searches ongoing for the hundreds believed to be trapped under the giant rocks, wooden logs and hundreds of metres of cubic mud.
The Secretary-General offered his sincere condolences to the bereaved families and solidarity with all those affected by the disaster triggered by the monsoon rains. “The UN Country Teams are at the disposal of the Governments to provide necessary assistance,” said in a statement issued on Sunday by Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General.
The disasters struck the northern parts of India and Pakistan. In India, 66 people have been killed, while 85 remain untraced as the operation entered day five on Monday in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar District. While 351 people were killed in the Northwestern region of Pakistan, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reporting the maximum of 307 deaths.
Also Read: Kishtwar tragedy: 75 admitted to GMC, toll climbs to 66
Both of these disasters have been associated with the changing weather patterns and the global warming phenomenon. Both India and Pakistan, due to their low-lying residential areas located on the slopes (foothills) of the Himalayan Mountains, are facing the heightened dangers of such natural disasters.
Additionally, both countries are facing an increased risk due to global climate change and natural disasters, which have claimed the lives of several hundred thousand people over the past few decades.
Also Read: Monsoon fury claims 351 lives in northwest Pakistan
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