Authorities in Pakistan said that at least nine people were killed when a rescue vessel capsized while assisting with flood relief.

A statement by the Punjab Disaster Management Authority stated that the incident occurred in a village in the eastern province of Punjab, near the historical city of Multan.

The boat rescued 24 people when it flipped over, and the rest were safely rescued from the water.

Officials from the rescue services say that villagers in rural Pakistan have refused to leave their homes, particularly without their animals such as cows, goats, and other livestock, their main source of income. This often results in forced evacuations.

The authority stated that the rescue efforts in the area are "tough" because the people do not cooperate.

Since late June, floods caused by the monsoon rains this year and swollen riverbeds have killed 946 Pakistanis, including 97 people in the province. They also inundated vast swathes of crops.

Pakistan's breadbasket is the Punjab province. It's home to more than half of Pakistan's 240,000,000 population.

The authorities say that the flooding has affected more than 4.4 millions people in the province, since late August. They say that at least 2.4 millions people have been evacuated. Reporting by Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore, writing by Asif Shazad and editing by William Maclean

(source: Reuters)