Rescuers evacuate 14,000 people from flood-hit villages in eastern Pakistan

A top Pakistani provincial official says rescuers in boats have evacuated 14,000 people over the past several days after floodwaters from two rivers swollen by monsoon rains inundated dozens of villages in eastern Punjab province

Rescuers in boats evacuated 14,000 people over the past several days after floodwaters from two rivers swollen by monsoon rains inundated dozens of villages in eastern Pakistan, officials said Friday.

Monsoon rains began lashing the South Asian country in late June and since then, at least 91 people have died in weather-related incidents across the country.

Mohsin Naqvi, a top official in eastern Punjab province, tweeted Friday that he visited flood-hit areas. The evacuations began earlier this week after neighboring India diverted waters from dams into the Ravi River, which flows from India into Pakistan. An overflowing Sutlej River has also inundated villages in various parts of the province.

According to the national weather agency, rains will continue this week to lash the southwestern Baluchistan and southern Sindh provinces, where thousands died in floods last summer.

The floods affected 33 million people and killed 1,739 in Pakistan. They also caused $30 billion in damage to the country’s economy.

The monsoon season began in July and will continue until September.