Pakistan appeals for 'immense response' with '33M people' hit by flooding

euronews.com:

Pakistan appealed for an "immense humanitarian response" from the international community on Saturday, after devastating flooding which has affected 33 million people and left more than a thousand dead. 

Pakistan's Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the number of fatalities and people facing homelessness was continuing to rise due to the floods, triggered by abnormal monsoon rains. 

According to initial government estimates, the rain and flooding have caused €10 billion in damages.

“The scale of devastation is massive and requires an immense humanitarian response for 33 million people. For this I appeal to my fellow Pakistanis, Pakistan expatriates and the international community to help Pakistan in this hour of need,” he said at a news conference.

Multiple officials and experts have blamed the catastrophic rain and flooding on climate change, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who earlier this week said the world was “sleepwalking” through the deadly crisis. 

Guterres will visit Pakistan on 9 September to tour flood-hit areas and meet with officials.

Earlier this week, the UN and Pakistan jointly issued an appeal for €160 million in emergency funding to help the millions of people affected by the floods, which have damaged more than 1 million homes.

Up to a third of Pakistan was estimated to be underwater in the immediate aftermath of the floods, although water has now receded. 

Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority in its latest report on Saturday counted 57 more deaths from flood-affected areas, which now sits at 1,265.

This figure is likely to grow even higher as more bodies are discovered and water-borne diseases potentially begin to spread. 

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif's initial appeal for