The death toll in monsoon flooding in southern Pakistan has risen to 133 as the number of people affected swelled to more than 4.6 million, dpa cited a government official as saying Monday. The floods, triggered by heavy monsoon rains, which have wreaked havoc in the southern province of Sindh since last week, have caused breaches in water canals. "The reports we have compiled so far say that 133 people have died in rain-related accidents and floods since last week," said Ahmed Kamal, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority. "Some 390 people are injured." He said more than 4.6 million people were affected in an area of about 12.7 million hectares, of which 483,2311 hectares was for crops. "A large area where the crops of cotton, sugar cane, rice and chili pepper were almost ready has been inundated." According to Kamal, more than 130,000 people were staying at relief camps, relying on assistance from the government and non-governmental organizations. The flooding comes as the millions of people in the rural areas of Sindh are trying to recover from the destruction caused by the country's worst floods last year, which killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than 18 million.
