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Qatar Tribune

Pakistan braces for more monsoon rains as flood death toll nears 300

dpa Islamabad Pakistani rescue and disaster agencies were on Monday finalizing plans to evacuate thousands of people amid warnings for more monsoon rains as the death toll from weeks of flooding rose to nearly 300, officials said. At least 279 people, nearly half of them children, have died in incidents related to heavy rains and flooding since late last month, the national disaster agency said. A fresh spell of rains was expected to hit the country that would trigger more flash floods and inundation in the cities, the country's meteorological department warned. 'This will be the heaviest spell of the current monsoon,' meteorologist Raja Ibrar said, referring to the rainy season in South Asia that runs from July to September. The rescue department in the central province of Punjab was finalizing a contingency plan to evacuate people from river banks in case of flooding, the agency's spokesman Farooq Ahmad said. 'We are on our toes, ready with thousands of rescuers and hundreds of boats. Helicopters will be on stand-by mode,' Ahmed said about the province where most deaths had occurred. The disaster agency had advised other regional governments to keep monitoring the evolving situation around the clock. Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change, according to the United Nations.