‘My family escaped Pakistan flooding just in time’

A man who had travelled to Pakistan to bury his father before managing to escape major flooding has said he feared his family could have died in the rising waters.

Shakil Salam, 64, from Blackburn, was one of hundreds of thousands of people who were evacuated from the country’s Punjab province before the huge flood in the city of Lahore.

His family home in a development on the banks of the River Ravi was flooded within 48 hours of them fleeing the city on Friday.

The former BBC Radio Lancashire presenter said: “We could have all lost our lives if we had stayed there and couldn’t have got out.”

Mr Salam said: “My father passed away so I went to Lahore for his funeral and to pay my respects.

“I went to stay at our family home in Lahore.

“But when I was out there, there were massive flood warnings. We decided to take it seriously and get out.”

Mr Salam, who works for the NHS, was one of about 200,000 people who were evacuated from the area.

Officials told citizens of warnings from India it would release water from major dams upstream, after it had suffered intense levels of rainfall.

They warned the move would cause heavy flooding in parts of what is the most populous region in Pakistan.

Monsoon rains have killed more than 800 people in Pakistan since June, and the army has also been called in to help with rescue efforts.

Mr Salam said he was “so glad” he had heeded the warnings, adding: “Within 48 hours of us leaving the floods came and our house was completely flooded.”