A huge area of Pakistan is tonight under
threat of further flooding after
warnings from India that it has opened
the gates of two major river dams to
prevent them bursting. Heavy monsoon
rains have continued to drench the
crossber Kashmir region with more than
200,000 people now displaced in Pakistan
according to the latest official
estimates. In the Jamu region of Indian
controlled Kashmir, which saw a month's
worth of rain in 24 hours, 33 people
were killed when a landslide engulfed a
Hindu pilgrimage route. With rivers
flowing from India into Pakistan's vital
Punjab region, floods that have already
caused widespread devastation and now
with the opening of the dams threatening
Pakistan's second biggest city, Lahore,
when one of the holiest shrines of the
seek region is now underwater. Carrie
Davis reports.
>> When a swollen river moves with such
devastating force, raging is exactly
right. In Indian controlled Kashmir,
intense rains have triggered flash
flooding. The mass of water has ripped
through roads and buildings in Jamu and
dumped the rubble downstream.
When this bridge began to crumble, cars
were at risk of falling into the river
below. Those inside a white 4x4 were
lucky to escape. Inescapable was the
crush of a huge landslide that killed at
least 32 people.
>> We had no time to react. Not even a
single second to save anyone. She says
her daughter and sister are among the
dead.
With its dams overflowing, India has
warned neighboring Pakistan it's opening
gates and releasing water into rivers
the two countries share.
It means things are expected to get
worse in the already flooded areas of
Pakistan's Punjab province. Today, the
army have been called in to help with
evacuations.
The region, home to half the country's
240 million people, is also its
agricultural heartland. Our
houses were submerged and everything was
destroyed. He says the mud houses
collapsed. We saved our children and
animals.
>> Pakistan has been particularly badly hit
this monsoon season. As a result, almost
800 people have been killed nationwide
since late June. Scientists say climate
change is fueling heavier rains across
South Asia, raising the risk of
catastrophic flooding. Carrie Davis, ITV
News.