Death toll from flash floods at 1,000

Flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains across much of Pakistan have killed nearly 1,000 people and injured and displaced thousands more since mid-June, officials said Saturday.

The new death toll came a day after Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif asked for international help in battling deadly flood damage in the impoverished Islamic nation.

In northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, flooding destroyed the gates of a major water control system at

the Swat River, leading to flooding in the districts of Charsadda and Nowshera, said Sania Safi, a top administrator in Charsadda. Safi said there was concern of further rising of the Swat and Kabul rivers, adding to the misery of residents who have already suffered the loss of lives and property.

In response to Sharif ’s appeal for international aid, the United Nations planned a $160 million flash appeal for donations, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Asim Iftikhar. He said in his weekly briefing Friday that the appeal will be launched Aug. 30.

Asim Tanveer/Associated Press Army troops evacuate people from a flood-hit area Saturday in Rajanpur, district of Punjab, Pakistan. Officials say flash floods have killed nearly 1,000 people.