Drones used to help evacuate thousands in flood-hit Punjab

Emergency workers in Pakistan's Punjab province used drones to find people stranded on rooftops by massive floods as the government expanded its rescue operation with more than 850,000 evacuated, officials said Monday.

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The Pakistan Meteorological Department warned of more heavy rain in Punjab's flood-hit districts and elsewhere in the country, where weeks of above-normal rainfall and the release of huge volumes of water from dams in neighboring India last week caused rivers to overflow into low-lying regions.

Authorities say the country’s most populous Punjab province faced its biggest flood on record.

In Multan and Jhang districts, residents on Monday waded through floodwaters carrying their belongings to roadsides and higher ground.

They said they had waited for rescuers before crossing on their own nearly 1 1/2-meter-deep water to reach safety, while many others remained stranded.

Since last week, rescuers, backed by the military and emergency services, have evacuated more than 850,000 people, said Irfan Ali Kathia, director general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority. More than 500,000 farm animals were also moved to safety, he said.

“We are handling an unprecedented situation, and we are responding to Punjab's biggest-ever floods by using the latest technology and all available resources to save lives,” Kathia reporters.