Pakistan flood toll reaches 1,300

ISLAMABAD - Floods triggered by torrential rain have claimed about 1,300 lives in Pakistan so far, while over one million people have been affected across the country, officials said Sunday.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has been the worst hit in the floods, with over 500 houses washed away by floodwaters. Over 90 highways were damaged and many big thoroughfares in the province have been closed for traffic, Geo News reported.

At least 104 people in the province were still missing.

The UN has said rains and floods affected over one million people in the country.

Over 300 houses and many link bridges were washed away in Swat and Shangla regions. Eleven members of a family were killed when the roof of their house collapsed in Kabal area.

There was similar devastation, triggered by heavy downpour, in Punjab, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, where 494 people were killed, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government has waived off all provincial taxes, while the Punjab government has lifted agricultural tax and the Balochistan government announced to write off all agri-loans.