Thousands flee as Pakistan floods spread

Thousands of people are on the move in Pakistan as they flee devastating floods spreading into the south.

Fleeing villagers waded barefoot through water up to their necks and chests, carrying on their heads what they could salvage of their belongings.

The army was today helping evacuate people from the central Punjab and southern Sindh provinces as further heavy monsoon rains are forecast.

The worst flooding the country has seen in nearly a century has already ravaged the north west where it has affected more than four million people and left at least 1,600 dead, according to the United Nations.

British charities this morning launched an appeal to raise money for the survivors as the Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari ignored pressure to cut short his visit to Britain and go home.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC, an umbrella organisation that brings together 13 aid agencies to provide short term relief in disaster areas) today put out a series of TV and radio appeals in asking for donations.  Neither SOS Children nor UNICEF are part of DEC. As well as a response by the UN, some Islamist charities with suspected ties to militant groups, also have stepped in to give aid to flood victims.

As the floodwaters in the north west started sinking, the vast body of water moved down the country into new parts of Punjab and Sindh province. The region is in the middle of its monsoon season and more rain is forecast. "The flood water is increasing at different points and we are expecting more rain in the next 24 hours," Hazrat Mir, Punjab chief weather officer, told news agency Agence France Presse.

The number of affected districts in Punjab has reached seven, while 350,000 people have been moved from neighbouring Sindh province, which is on high alert, the United Nations said.

"What we are facing now is a major catastrophe," said Manuel Bessler, who heads the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Pakistan. "We are only in the middle of the monsoon season, there is more rain expected. We are afraid it will get worse," he told a news conference in Geneva.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said about 100,000 people have been rescued. The army has used boats and helicopters to move stranded villagers to higher ground. But government and aid agencies have been struggling to get supplies to the worst affected areas. Victims have accused the authorities of failing to come to their rescue and provide enough relief.