DHAKA: Pakistani authorities Thursday moved to protect two major cities from raging floodwaters, readying explosives to divert swollen rivers, in a crisis which has hit nearly two million people.
The floods and landslides from days of heavy monsoon rains have now claimed more than 450 lives in Pakistan and India, with hospitals struggling to cope with the disaster, reports the Yahoo News early Friday.
In Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said late Thursday more than 1.8 million were now affected by the raging torrents -- a figure that includes both those stranded at home and those who fled after the floods hit.
In neighbouring India, between 300,000 and 400,000 people remain stranded in Indian-administered Kashmir where phone lines have been down for days and food and water supplies are running low, although the floods have begun to recede.
BDST: 0820 HRS, SEP 12, 2014