An urgent appeal to help millions of people devastated by flooding in Pakistan has been launched by the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee.
The committee, which comprises 15 UK charities, is urging people to donate whatever they can to help relief efforts.
“Our priority right now is to help save and protect lives as waters continue to rise,” said committee chief executive Saleh Saeed.
“The scale of these floods has caused a shocking level of destruction — crops have been swept away and livestock killed across huge swathes of the country, which means hunger will follow.”
Mr Saeed acknowledged that the appeal comes at a difficult time for many Britons, as they struggle with the cost-of-living crisis.
Pakistan floods latest — in pictures
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Displaced people have put up makeshift tents along elevated motorways and railway tracks in Pakistan's Balochistan province to escape the flooded plains. AFP -
A man and his children wade through floodwaters in Charsadda, Pakistan. AP -
Homes are surrounded by floodwaters in Jaffarabad, a district of Balochistan province. AP -
Children are reflected in a mirror near their flood-hit home in Charsadda. AP -
People launch a wooden boat into rising floodwaters in Mehar, Pakistan. Reuters -
People affected by floods move to higher ground in Dadu district, Sindh province, Pakistan. EPA -
Displaced people take shelter on an elevated motorway to escape rising floodwaters. EPA -
People affected by floods wait for relief in Dadu district, Sindh province. EPA -
A girl sits amid the rubble of her damaged home in Charsadda district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. AP -
A sick child struggles to eat in Charsadda after his family fled their home due to flooding. AP -
A man rides his donkey-drawn cart during a heavy rainfall in flood-hit Dera Allah Yar town in Balochistan province. AFP -
Homes are surrounded by floodwaters in Sohbat Pur, a city in Balochistan. AP -
A boy pushes a motorbike after it stalled in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Reuters -
Children affected by floods wait to receive food in Nowshera district. EPA -
A man throws water out of his flooded home in Nowshera. EPA -
People assess the damage to their home in Nowshera. EPA -
A family salvages items from the ruins of their home, which was destroyed by flooding, in the Shikarpur district of Sindh province. AP -
The flooding has affected more than 33 million people in a country of 220 million. AP -
People salvage items from a damaged building in Kalam, Swat Valley. AP -
Hotels are surrounded by floodwaters in Kalam. AP -
Displaced people sit on a tractor with their belongings as they make their way to higher ground in Shikarpur. AFP -
A child sits on a dry ground at a makeshift camp in Shikarpur. AFP -
People jostle for drinking water delivered by a municipality lorry along a flooded road in Sohbatpur, Balochistan. AP
“DEC charities are doing all they can but donations from the British public will make a huge difference in enabling them to reach more people,” he said.
“We’re urging everyone to give whatever they can at what we appreciate is a difficult time for us all.”
Pakistan declares emergency as millions affected by monsoon floods — video
Pakistan has seen exceptionally heavy monsoon rains which have triggered flash floods, affecting 33 million people and damaging about one million homes.
The death toll is reported to be at least 1,162, with six million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
On Tuesday, the UN launched an appeal for £138 million ($160m) in emergency funding for Pakistan.
