LAHORE: As the death toll in Punjab rose to 124 on Monday, a large number of flood-hit people have yet to be rescued and shifted to safer places in many areas, mainly Chiniot and Hafizabad districts.

In Chiniot, where the flashflood of 840,000 cusecs in Chenab river submerged over 125 villages on Monday, the affected people seemed to be in pathetic condition after the floods destroyed their houses, valuables, crops and livestock.

They reject official claims of `adequate` arrangements.

`We cannot express in words the situation we are in. Till 1:00am (Monday), we had no authentic information about the floods. But, suddenly a deluge started entering our village, sending us on our heels. We left everything, including livestock, clothes and other valuables, behind,` Shahida Perveen, a resident of Peer Da Kot village (near Chowki Burjwali, Chiniot) told Dawn.

Perveen said she and other villagers took refuge at the outhouse of local notable Nasir Shah after several kilometers travel on foot as no one from the district government came to their help. She said her husband contacted officials concerned by phone but to no avail.

She said there were many children, including infants, who were without milk.

In Hafizabad, where a peak of almost 900,000 cusecs passed Qadirabad on Sunday, thousands of people have been reported to be surrounded by water for the last 60 to 70 hours.

`Entire villages of union council Chak Bhatti, a locality of over 20,000 people, is disconnected with the Pindi Bhattian town of Hafizabad district. None from the district administration have reached us despite several phone calls.

They (the officials) say they don`t have enough boats and other necessary material to rescue people,` says Sufian Amjad, a teacher residing there. He said he himself called some senior officials of the district administration but none reached there to evacuate them.

He said the situation in other affected areas was identical.