Severe flooding in Pakistan's Punjab province claims 15 lives

Severe floods have swept across a large part of Pakistan's Punjab province, triggered by rising waters from the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers. The flooding has led to widespread infrastructure damage, devastated crops on millions of acres, and left thousands of residents displaced.

As reported by Pakistani media outlet Dawn, the Commissioner of Gujranwala has confirmed that at least 15 people have lost their lives due to the flooding.

In addition to heavy rainfall, the release of water from two dams in India led to dangerous levels of water rising in three cross-border rivers. This caused flooding in central districts of Punjab, with fears that it could spread to the southern parts of the province.

The Pakistani military has been deployed for relief and rescue operations in the affected districts of Sialkot, Narowal, Hafizabad, Sargodha, Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad.

The Commissioner of Gujranwala stated that among the victims, five people died in Sialkot, four in Gujrat, three in Narowal, two in Hafizabad, and one in Gujranwala.

Since the monsoon season began in June, floods in Pakistan have claimed the lives of 802 people, with half of these deaths occurring this month alone. More than 150,000 people and 35,000 livestock have been relocated to safe areas. Relief centers and animal treatment camps have been set up in the affected areas.

According to the Punjab government, over 600,000 people have been affected by the ongoing floods. United Nations data shows that the death toll during this monsoon season is nearly three times higher than the same period last year.