Bilawal Bhutto postpones Europe trip due to floods in Pakistan

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 22 (ANI): Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has postponed his four-nation trip to Europe in view of floods triggered by heavy rainfall in his country.
"In view of calamities across Pakistan caused by the ongoing heavy monsoon rains and flooding, as well as heavy damages to lives and property, the Foreign Minister has postponed his official visits to Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway," the Pakistan foreign ministry said in a statement.
"The Foreign Minister is looking forward to his interactions with his counterparts, other dignitaries and media, as part of Pakistan's continued engagement with Europe," the statement added.
The ministry added that visits to these capitals will be rescheduled at mutually agreed later dates in consultation with the host governments.
Scattered to widespread rain with heavy falls at isolated places and very heavy falls at one or two places is expected over central and upper Sindh and eastern Balochistan.
Scattered thunderstorm/rain of moderate intensity with isolated heavy falls is expected over the upper catchments of all the Major Rivers along with Islamabad and Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Lahore & Bahawalpur Divisions.
Isolated rain of light to moderate intensity is expected over the rest of the country.
Amidst the ongoing devastation and wreckage caused by heavy rains and floods in different parts of Pakistan, Pakistan's Ministry for Climate Change warned of more rains in the coming weeks as the government declared a "monsoon emergency" in the country.
At least 549 people have died in Pakistan in the past month as a result of flash floods brought on by unusually strong monsoon rains, with rural areas in the province of Balochistan among the worst affected.
Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (Pakistan) said the past month saw 133 per cent more rain than the 30-year average, making it the wettest in three decades.
Floods continue to wreak havoc in Balochistan as eight more people lost their lives in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 225, ARY News reported. 105 men, 55 women and 65 children lost their lives to floods and related incidents in Balochistan alone.
As many as 26,567 homes were damaged and 7,167 homes were demolished as a result of the flash floods and incessant rains in the province.
Rescue and relief operations are underway for flood-affected people. The recent eight deaths have been reported in Bolan, Quetta and Jaffarabad districts. A total of 18 bridges and 690 km of roads have been damaged amid the recent rains in the country. (ANI)