Nearly half a million people have been displaced by flooding in eastern Pakistan after days of heavy rain swelled rivers, according to rescue officials, who have been carrying out a huge rescue operation as the country struggles with a monsoon season of devastation.

According to a statement released Saturday by the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), 835 people have died in the monsoon since June 26, with 195 in Punjab province alone.

Three transboundary rivers that cut through Punjab, which borders India, have swollen to exceptionally high levels, affecting more than 2,300 villages.

The regional Punjab government has initiated controlled breaches of key flood bunds to divert surging waters from the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers. All three major rivers overflowed simultaneou

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