THATTA, Pakistan — Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis fled floodwaters Friday after the surging River Indus smashed through levees in two places.
About 175,000 people are thought to have fled their homes overnight in the southern city of Thatta after the levee protecting the city was breached, said Manzoor Sheikh, a senior government official. Authorities were trying to repair the levee, about 75 miles southeast of Karachi.
A second breach occurred in the Soorjani levee in the same region, said Gulab Shah, who is helping relief efforts.
“It is beyond control now,” he said. “Thousands of people are sitting with their cattle and belongings, and their lives are in danger. They are not willing to leave.”
A U.N. spokesman said about 1 million people have been displaced in Thatta and Qambar-Shadadkot districts since Wednesday. The Associated Press
