TORI BAND, Pakistan, Aug 8, (Agencies): Landslides raised the death toll in flood-hit Pakistan on Sunday, cutting off roads and hampering aid efforts as rescuers battled to beat rains exacerbating the country’s worst ever floods.
Washed-out roads in the northwest made ground access to many of the 15 million flood victims impossible and many helicopters were unable to fly as heavy rains persisted, cutting off the entire Swat valley, officials said.
In the far north of the country, 28 bodies were recovered from rubble after landslides in Gilgit-Baltistan province caused houses to collapse Saturday.
Administrative official Mohammad Ali Yougwi said up to 40 people were feared dead after the landslides hit those living at the bottom of a mountain in the town of Skardu.
“We have recovered 28 dead bodies, there are more people buried under the rubble,” said Yougwi.
With the floods sweeping south, rescuers also rushed to evacuate families in the poor southern farming belt of Sindh, where officials were readying for a deluge that could burst the banks of the swollen Indus river.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani visited flood-hit areas of Sindh province, calling again for international aid as he said the disaster had spiralled beyond the government’s capacity.
“Millions of people have suffered and still there is more rain and further losses are feared. I appeal to the world to help us, we are doing what we can,” Gilani told reporters, as he urged those threatened by the “unprecedented” floods to move to safer areas.
“The government has done everything possible but it is beyond our capacity, we are facing an extremely difficult situation,” he said.
Nine more people, including women and children, were reported killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province by the floods, which the UN estimates have claimed at least 1,600 lives.
Across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, head of flood relief operations Major General Ghayoor Mehmood said some 1,400 people have been killed, with 213 still missing.
“There were landslides at three different points, we have closed the roads to all types of traffic,” said Adnan Ahmad, a provincial official.
The situation was worsening in the cut-off Swat valley as residents complained about severe food and fuel shortages.
“We are facing severe shortage of food. There is no petrol in the pumps and no food in the shops, the government is doing nothing for us,” Malik AmirZada, a resident in the area, told AFP by telephone.
In the south, those uprooted from their homes in Sindh province have been moved to government buildings, schools and tents as the area braces.

Rising
The Indus river was rising rapidly and water had breached a canal in Tori Band village, forcing people to flee with their families on donkey and camel carts with whatever possessions they could grab.
“We have taken only some of our belongings, most of our household was left behind. We have nothing with us,” Abdul Hakim, 30, a farmer leaving Tori Band, told AFP.
“Everything was under water, my field and my house, I have to start a new life,” said Hakim, transporting his wife and five young children in a bullock cart.
Thousands of villagers were being evacuated from remote districts of northwest Sindh, with helicopters seen flying overhead.
Countries including Britain, China, Australia, France and the United States have pledged tens of millions of dollars in aid for victims of the nearly two-week disaster which has ravaged the largely impoverished, insurgency-hit country.
The flooding has threatened electricity generation plants, forcing units to shut down in a country already suffering a crippling energy crisis.
More than 252,000 homes are thought to have been damaged or destroyed across Pakistan and 1.38 million acres (558,000 hectares) of farmland flooded. It could be weeks before electricity is fully restored.
Survivors have lashed out at authorities for failing to come to their rescue and provide better relief, piling pressure on a cash-strapped administration straining to contain Taliban violence and an economic crisis.
Particular scorn has been heaped on President Asif Ali Zardari for pressing ahead with a visit to Europe at the height of the disaster.

Donations
Kuwait Red Crescent Society has launched a campaign for collecting donations for victims of the widespread floods in Pakistan.
The society said in a statement released on Sunday it would start receiving the donations at its headquarters as of Monday.
Donors could show up to deliver the aid in the morning and at night, for three days. Financial aid could be deposited at the society bank account No: 1000211158 (the National Bank of Kuwait).
Pakistani official sources said the seasonal heavy downpours claimed the lives of 1,500 people and prompted 15 million others to flee homes.
On August 4, the KRCS Board Chairman Barjas Humoud Al-Barjas declared allocation of $ five million for the victims of the severe floods in Pakistan, in accordance with directions of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
Earlier, Secretary-General of the Kuwait Joint Relief Committee Faisal Al-Jeeran said a delegation from the committee would travel to Pakistan for the distribution of relief assistance for the displaced.
The commission had sent 100,000 Kuwaiti dinars (nearly $330,000) as an initial assistance to authorities in Islamabad to help the affected population.
He appealed to charities and philanthropists in Kuwait to act quickly to aid the flood victims in north-west Pakistan.

- A team of Kuwait Joint Relief Committee (KJRC) Sunday distributed relief goods among the flood victims in northern Pakistani province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa, where deluge has outdone the 2005 earthquake and pushed backed the province’s development by almost 50 years.
A two-member team of KJRC, comprising Faisal Al-Yaqut and Falah Khalid Al-Mutairi, has been visiting provincial capital Peshawar since Friday. The team assessed and reviewed the situation and held meetings with Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Shakeel Khan Qadir. The team will also be holding meeting with the KP Chief Minister on Monday.
Talking to KUNA, the team members said that they have, so far, distributed 2,000 tents, one 1,000 food items, 1,000 plastic sheets among the affectees. Food has also been distributed among at least 2,000 families in Naushehra, Charsaddah and adjoining districts.

The team said that they visited the flood-affected areas and were shocked at the widespread destruction caused by heavy rains and flash floods. They also agreed with reports that the present deluge has outdone 2005 earthquake but expressed surprise at the slow response of international community to aid and relief efforts.
As compared to the 2005 earthquake, there is more damage but very less immediate aid and assistance from the international community can be seen, said the team members. They also appealed to the international community and brotherly Muslim countries, in particular, to help Pakistan in this critical hour of need.
Kuwait has announced an aid of five million dollars for the flood-affected areas. After 2005 earthquake, Kuwait was among the first few states to announce an aid of hundred million dollars.