Europe ups response to Pakistani floods

BRUSSELS, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- With more than 20 million people affected by the floods in Pakistan, the European Commission said it was doubling the funds for relief efforts.

Monsoon rains in July triggered widespread flooding in Central Asia. Nearly one-quarter of Pakistan was under water at the height of the disaster and parts of southern Sindh province continue to struggle with floodwaters.

Kristalina Georgieva, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis response, said the European Commission agreed to double funds for Pakistan to $205 million.

"Bearing in mind the scale of the crisis and the suffering of millions of people, the international community needs to substantially scale up its support to the victims of this disaster," Georgieva said. "This is the only way to avoid even more suffering."

She added that Pakistan is facing many challenges apart from the floods as residents in the tribal provinces along the Afghan border are already facing "extremely difficult circumstances" because of terrorism related conflicts.

Europe estimates that more than 1,800 people died and nearly 3,000 were injured in the floods. Crop losses totaled 2.4 million hectares and more than 20 million Pakistanis were affected directly and indirectly by the disaster.