Pakistan steps up rescue as rain casualties mount

Pakistan stepped up search and rescue operations yesterday for tens of thousands affected by flash floods after the heaviest rains in the country in two decades, in which close to 300 people have been killed.

Army and navy helicopters scoured the area affected by a dam burst near the coastal town of Pasni where at least 87 people were killed and up to 2,000 went missing. More than 20,000 people have been affected by subsequent flooding in Pasni, about 800 km south of Quetta, the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province.

Baluchistan provincial government spokesman Raziq Bugti said thousands of soldiers were ferrying people to safety across the Pasni district where two more small dams burst late on Saturday, flooding about 20 villages.

"More than 200 people have been killed in Baluchistan alone," he said.