ISLAMABAD, 16 February 2005 — Torrential rains and heavy snowfall continued to play havoc in Pakistan yesterday. The death toll has crossed 500 in the past few days, with about 28 more fatalities counted yesterday, officials said.
Officials said unrelenting rain hampered efforts to get help to tens of thousands of people who had lost homes, crops and livestock in Balochistan province, where 260 people had been killed.
“There is no change in the situation. Water has not yet receded and relief workers are facing difficulties because of broken roads and other communication links,” said Raziq Bugti, a provincial government spokesman.
The provincial Cabinet yesterday asked the central government to declare the province a calamity-hit region so agricultural loans could be written off or rescheduled.
