Home>News Center>World
             
     

    43 dead, 400 missing in Pakistan dam burst
    (Agencies)
    Updated: 2005-02-11 20:43

    At least 43 people were killed and more than 400 missing in a remote area of southwestern Pakistan after heavy rains caused a large dam to burst, sweeping villagers into the Arabian Sea, officials said Friday.

    The 485-foot-long Shakidor Dam burst late Thursday near Pasni, a remote village in Baluchistan province. Between 400 and 500 people were still unaccounted for, provincial Cabinet minister Sher Jan Baluch told The Associated Press.

    Most of the bodies were recovered by Coast Guard patrols sweeping the coast with fishing nets, Baluch said.

    "The army has started rescue operations to try to save as many lives as possible," Baluch said. He said he feared some of the missing may also have been swept into the sea, though others might be taking shelter in homes, nearby mountains or other surrounding areas.

    More than 1,200 villagers have already been pulled alive from the floodwaters by troops, helicopters and boats sent to the area, said Mudasser Butt, an army spokesman in Quetta.

    Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, the top spokesman for President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, refused to speculate on how high the death toll could climb. Witnesses described seeing trucks and tankers swept out to sea.

    "I can only say that troops have started the rescue work ... and they are trying to save the lives of people," Sultan said.

    The Shakidor dam was built in 2003 to help with irrigation in the area, but was unable to cope with more than a week of heavy rains. Telephone lines, roads and eight bridges in the area were also damaged, Butt said.

    He said the troops diverted the flow of floodwaters to save other towns located near Pasni, about 400 miles south of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.

    Troops and local authorities were also supplying food, medicine and tents to the affected people in Pasni and elsewhere, he said. Some 3,000 troops and paramilitary forces are taking parts in the rescue operation. Personnel from the Pakistan Navy had also reached the affected areas to join the rescue work.

    Pakistan has been hit by more than a week of rain and snow, which in some parts of the country were the heaviest in seven years, said Qamar-uz Zaman Chaudhry, the head of the nation's meteorological department. He said more severe weather was expected in the next two days.

    Meanwhile, at least two people were killed elsewhere in Baluchistan when floodwaters overturned their bus early Friday, officials said. Eighteen other people were reported missing in the accident.

    At least 30 soldiers were also missing after an avalanche buried their vehicles on a mountain road in northwestern Pakistan early Friday, Pakistan's private Geo television reported. It gave no other details.

    An army official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident but said there was no word on the fate of the soldiers. "We have lost contact with them, and efforts are under way to trace and rescue them."

    The soldiers were on their way to Terrah, a tribal region in North West Frontier Province, when the incident occurred. He had no other details and Sultan was not immediately available for comment.

    In the past week, about 50 people have died in different parts of Pakistan, including the country's mountainous north, due to the winter weather. Some homes collapsed because of heavy rains and snow fall, according to local media reports and government officials.



     
      Today's Top News     Top World News
     

    Report: N. Korea demands talks with U.S.

     

       
     

    Prince Charles to marry Camilla

     

       
     

    Iran vows 'burning hell' for any aggressor

     

       
     

    China assembles moon satellite models

     

       
     

    China projects 8 percent annual growth

     

       
     

    China finds more oil reserves

     

       
      Rumsfeld makes surprise visit to Iraq
       
      Report: N. Korea demands talks with U.S.
       
      Iraq insurgent attacks kill more than 50
       
      Prince Charles to marry Camilla
       
      Terror suspect allegedly had meetings with Bin Laden
       
      3 die, guards held hostage in Argentine prison
       
     
      Go to Another Section  
     
     
      Story Tools  
       
      News Talk  
      Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
    Advertisement
             
    亚洲av无码无在线观看红杏| 久久丝袜精品中文字幕| 天堂中文在线资源| 97性无码区免费| 国产又爽又黄无码无遮挡在线观看| 一级片无码中文字幕乱伦| 亚洲日韩精品无码专区网址 | 无码人妻一区二区三区兔费| 色婷婷综合久久久久中文一区二区| 高清无码视频直接看| 精品无码免费专区毛片| 久久最近最新中文字幕大全| 中文无码精品一区二区三区| 成人午夜福利免费无码视频| 亚洲啪啪AV无码片| 日本无码WWW在线视频观看| 亚洲av中文无码乱人伦在线r▽| 911国产免费无码专区| 亚洲AV无码乱码国产麻豆| 免费看成人AA片无码视频吃奶| 日韩中文字幕一区| 久久中文骚妇内射| 中文字幕日本人妻久久久免费| 亚洲av无码成人精品区| 免费一区二区无码视频在线播放| 人妻夜夜添夜夜无码AV| 无码国产精品一区二区免费模式 | 色综合久久中文字幕无码| 亚洲高清无码综合性爱视频| 日韩av片无码一区二区三区不卡| A级毛片无码久久精品免费| 日韩精品无码专区免费播放| 亚洲爆乳无码一区二区三区| 亚洲国产综合无码一区| 无码GOGO大胆啪啪艺术| 无套中出丰满人妻无码| 玖玖资源站无码专区| 无码av免费一区二区三区试看| 国产Av激情久久无码天堂| 免费a级毛片无码免费视频120软件| 99久久人妻无码精品系列 |