Published: Less than 20 min ago
Damages for hundreds of billions and more than 1,300 dead. UN Secretary-General António Guterres is on the ground in disaster-stricken Pakistan and calls on the outside world to help.
“I have arrived in Pakistan to express my great solidarity with the Pakistani people after the devastating floods. I appeal to the international community for strong support as Pakistan deals with this climate disaster,” Guterres writes on Twitter.
The Secretary General will be in Pakistan for two days. He has previously described the rain that fell over the country as “monsoon rain on steroids” and said that it may be Pakistan that is hit hard this time, but that other countries will be on their way.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb describes it as a third of the country under water and thanks the Secretary General for getting there. She wants to bring up crises of the kind the country has suffered on the international agenda.
– The visit (Guterre’s visit) will also contribute to insight into the consequences of the deadly impact of climate change, says Aurangzeb.
More than 3.3 million people are estimated to have been affected by the floods. So far, around 60 planes loaded with supplies have arrived in Pakistan.
Pakistan accounts for less than one percent of global emissions, but is considered one of the countries most at risk of experiencing extreme and devastating weather conditions.