Pakistan Embassy in Ankara announces fundraiser for flood victims
A man rows his boat as he passes through a flooded market, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Bajara village, at the banks of Manchar lake, in Sehwan, Pakistan, Sept. 6, 2022. (REUTERS Photo)


The Pakistan Embassy in Ankara on Wednesday announced that an online fundraiser would be organized to help victims of the recent devastating floods that swept the country.

"All Pakistani community, our Turkish brothers and sisters are requested to attend the event and contribute to relief assistance," a statement by the Embassy of Pakistan in Ankara said.

The virtual fundraiser will be held on Thursday at around 7:30 p.m., the embassy said.

One-third of the country's land has been under water for several weeks now.

Close to 13,000 people have been injured across the country in the rain and flood-related incidents since June 14.

According to the official statistics, over 750,000 animals of different kinds have been killed due to rains and floods, a grim development that is likely to cause shortages of meat, milk and other dairy products in a country already facing a looming threat of food insecurity.

Of the total figure, around 70% or 500,000 livestock have been washed away by raging floods in the southwestern province of Balochistan, followed by northeastern Punjab, where over 200,000 animals have been killed since June 14, showed figures provided by the state-run National Disaster Management Authority.

Public infrastructure and private properties, including around 287,000 houses, have been completely damaged, according to the embassy.

The estimated cost to rebuild the damaged infrastructure is $10 billion, the statement added.

Türkiye has, so far, sent 11 airplanes and three trainloads of rescue and relief items to Pakistan while a high-level delegation, led by the country's ministers for interior and environment, urbanization and climate change, paid a visit to take stock of the situation.

Many countries and multinational organizations have dispatched relief in cash and kind to Pakistan, which is undergoing financial hardships due to depleting foreign reserves.