Pakistan floods 'affect 13 million'

It said the severity could exceed that of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2005 Kashmir and 2010 Haiti earthquakes.

Deaths were much higher than the 1,500 people killed so far in the floods that first hit Pakistan two weeks ago. But the Pakistani government estimates that over 13 million people have been affected – two million more than the other disasters combined.

Another major relief effort has also got under way in China, where

floods claimed 1,300 lives.

The crisis in Pakistan has overwhelmed its government and generated widespread anger from flood victims who have complained that aid is not reaching them quickly enough or at all.

A UN spokesman said: "It looks like the number of people affected in this crisis is higher than the Haiti earthquake, the tsunami or the Pakistan earthquake, and if the toll is as high as the one given by the government, it's higher than the three of them combined."

Many of the people affected by the floods, caused by extremely heavy monsoon rains, were located in Pakistan's north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Rescue workers have been unable to reach up to 600,000 people marooned in the province's Swat Valley, where many were still trying to recover from an intense battle between the army and the Taliban last spring.

Bad weather has prevented helicopters from flying to the area, which is inaccessible by ground.

"All these people are in very serious need of assistance, and we are highly concerned about their situation," said the UN.

Hundreds of thousands of people have also had to flee rising floods in recent days in the central and southern provinces of Punjab and Sindh as heavy rains have continued to pound parts of the country.

Thousands of people in the neighbouring districts of Shikarpur and Sukkur camped out on roads, bridges and railway tracks – any dry ground they could find – often with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and perhaps a plastic sheet to keep off the rain.

UN special envoy for the disaster Jean-Maurice Ripert said Pakistan would need billions more from international donors to recover from the floods, a daunting prospect at a time when the financial crisis has shrunk aid budgets in many countries.

Meanwhile, more than 1,300 people were feared dead after flash floods and landslides struck north-west China.

The disaster in Gansu province covered entire villages in water, mud, and rocks. Work was under way to restore power, water and communications in affected areas in the southern part of the province.

Demolition experts set off three sets of charges to clear debris blocking the Bailong River upstream from the ravaged Zhouqu, which remained largely submerged.

The blockage had formed a two-mile artificial lake on the river that overflowed, sending torrents crashing down onto the town.

Houses were ripped from their foundations, apartment buildings shattered, and streets covered with a layer of mud and water more than a yard deep.

Authorities were rushing in water, tents, blankets and other emergency supplies.

n Donations by the British public for Pakistani flood victims have reached 6m, UK charities said yesterday. To make a contribution call the 24 hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, visit http://www.dec.org.uk or donate at any post office or high street bank. You can also send a cheque payable to DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal to PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.