TURBAT, Pakistan - Hungry flood victims in southwestern Pakistan rioted today, protesting the slow and meagre aid that's made its way to their marooned villages.
Police fired tear gas and shots into the air but failed to disperse a crowd of several thousand villagers, who ransacked the mayor's office in Turbat, a city ringed by floodwaters.
The widespread flooding is the aftermath of a cyclone that dumped torrential rains on Baluchistan province Tuesday.
The relief commissioner for the province estimates more than 800-thousand people have been affected by the floods and 200-thousand houses have been destroyed or damaged.
The protesters, some of whom waded through chest-deep water to voice their anger, say only packets of biscuits and bottles of water have made it to them thus far.
The government says the official death toll in Baluchistan is 14, with more than 24 missing, although local media report much higher numbers.
A spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority says accurate figures are impossible because of widespread communications disruptions in the stricken areas.
