Pakistan has lost about 10% of its GDP in the devastating summer floods that hit the country. Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said this in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday.
"According to the damage assessment, we have recorded a loss of $30 billion as a result of this one cataclysm that washed away 10 % of our GDP," the diplomat said.
He said the flooding was "the worst climate disaster the country could have seen."
At least 1,717 people were killed and more than 12,800 were affected by floods that hit the country in mid-June, according to the Pakistan Disaster Management Authority. More than 13,100 km of road were washed away and more than 2.1 mln houses were damaged, of which more than 806,000 cannot be rebuilt, according to the ministry.
In August, due to the severe flooding situation, the government declared a state of emergency in the republic and appealed to the UN and other international organizations for urgent humanitarian aid.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Taimur Dee/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS