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The death toll in rain-related incidents has risen to 201 as flash floods continued to cause havoc in northern Pakistan for the second day on Tuesday.
Reports reaching Islamabad said that 201 deaths were confirmed in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Northern Areas on Tuesday evening.
The official emergency cell, however, could confirm only 167 deaths in these areas, but said that more deaths were expected as many were still missing.
The Meteorological Office has predicted more heavy rains that could continue till Friday.
Official records showed Monday's rains were the heaviest in a century in some parts of NWFP. The Meteorological Department said it had recorded 670 mm of rain on Monday and Tuesday.
In Rawalpindi, 12 people died in hospitals, raising the death toll in the city to 32. Rescue workers said that five dead bodies of children were found after the water receded on Tuesday evening.
President Pervez Musharraf Tuesday visited the rain-hit areas in Rawalpindi and announced a grant of Rs 20 million for rehabilitation work in NWFP and Punjab. He also announced compensation of Rs 100,000 for the family of each victim.
In Rawalpindi, more than 5,000 mud houses were either destroyed or partially damaged in the floods, a senior government official said.
Around 1,000 heads of cattle, including 300 buffaloes, were washed away by the flood waters, the official said.
Officials said that relief work was under way in several areas. "Our teams could not reach some remote areas because of landslides," an official at the emergency cell said.
He said that in some parts of the NWFP and Northern Areas, roads were completely washed away by the floods.
"Efforts are on to reach these places," he said.
Indo-Asian News Service
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