QUETTA, June 29: The Balochistan government on Friday asked the federal government to send more army soldiers and helicopters for rescue operations in areas devastated by the cyclone and floods.

Provincial Home Secretary Tariq Ayub told newsmen here: “We have requested the federal government to send more army troops and helicopters for relief and rescue operation in the affected districts.”

He also confirmed that the provincial government had sought the army’s help in Turbat for helping the administration in relief work. “Four battalions of the army would be reaching Turbat by Saturday.”

The death toll, by unofficial counts, had gone up to 80, sources said. However, the administration put the toll at 20.

Although the Mirani Dam was reported to be out of danger, another three dams were under threat by the rising waters. The dams are in Mastung, Kalat and Naushki. Torrential rains and floods in the catchment areas have caused a number of breaches in the three dams.

An overflow in the Mastung dam inundated five villages in the vicinity. The dam flooded the RCD Highway, which links Quetta with Karachi. Traffic remained suspended on the road after the breach.

Another overflowing dam — Kalat’s Garani Dam — flooded 10 villages downstream.

The situation in Naushki town was critical after thousands of people were rendered homeless by a raging Kishingi Dam.

A source confirmed that more than 200 houses had been swept away near Bhag when a dam overflowed. Five major villages were still submerged in floodwaters in the region.

Floodwaters entered Kharan town on Friday evening, inundating a large number of houses. Dozens of houses collapsed as a downpour lasting several hours lashed the town.

Earlier, more than 20 people were killed in Washuk district, near the Iran border, following rains in Iranian Balochistan.

The Inspector-General of Frontier Corps, Major General Saleem Nawaz, spoke at a press conference of the relief work undertaken by the Pakistan Army, Navy and the Frontier Corps in Pasni, Gwadar, Jaffarabad and Jhal Magsi.

He said the army and the navy had pressed in more than ten helicopters for the rescue operation while C-130 military transport planes were rushing essential items to the affected places.

He said the Mirani Dam was saved by releasing water from the reservoir to reduce pressure on the dam.

The Vice Chief of Army Staff visited Turbat and Makran to see the rescue operations.

Eight districts of Balochistan have been isolated by the cyclone and floods. “Communication links in these districts have been disabled, making them almost out of reach for relief agencies,” Major General Saleem Nawaz of the Frontier Corps said.

“The destruction in Balochistan is not very different from that caused by the earthquake in Azad Kashmir and the NWFP.”

The provincial home secretary and the head of relief operation, Khuda Bakhsh Baloch, said at a news briefing that army personnel had rescued 250 people stranded in Hingol for the past three days.

They said that four C-130 planes brought relief goods on Friday while six more planes would be reaching the affected areas on Saturday with more relief goods.

Balochistan Chief Secretary K.B. Rind visited the cyclone-hit areas of Gwadar and Suntsur. Mr Rind assured the displaced people that the provincial government would utilise all resources for their rehabilitation.

The nazim of Jhal Magsi district, Nawabzada Khalid Khan Magsi, alleged in a statement that no rehabilitation work had started as yet for as many as 80,000 people displaced by the cyclone in his district.