Report claims U.S. Border Patrol abuse

People trying to enter Arizona from Mexico report being mistreated by U.S. Border Patrol agents, a humanitarian group says.Organization spoke with nearly 13,000 migrantsMany migrants reported similar cases of abuse by U.S. Border PatrolThey alleged incidents of beatings, denial of food, and extreme temperaturesU.S. Border Patrol says it will not allow any misconduct among agents

(CNN) -- Back in 2006, volunteers with No More Deaths, a humanitarian organization dedicated to helping migrants along the Arizona-Mexico border, began hearing the same stories from many who had been in the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol.

Thwarted would-be unauthorized immigrants spoke of being denied water or food during their custody. Others said they were beaten.

The organization started properly documenting these allegations, and the stories added up to nearly 13,000 testimonies whose results were released in a report this week.

The findings went beyond denial of food and water. Migrants held by the Border Patrol spoke of being exposed to extreme heat or cold, sleep deprivation, death threats, and psychological abuse such as blaring music with lyrics about migrants dying in the desert.

A previous report by No More Deaths in 2008 raised the same concerns, but now the number of recorded cases point to a systematic problem.

"By this point, the overwhelming weight of the corroborated evidence should eliminate any doubt that Border Patrol abuse is widespread," the report states.

The Border Patrol responded with a statement highlighting the fact that respect for detainees is taught in training and consistently reinforced during an agent's career.

"Mistreatment or agent misconduct will not be tolerated in any way," the statement said. "We appreciate the efforts of individuals to report concerns as soon as they arise and we will continue to cooperate fully with any effort to investigate allegations of agent misconduct or mistreatment of individuals."

The interviews were conducted with migrants in Naco, Nogales and Agua Prieta, in Mexico's Sonora state who were in border patrol custody. Although No More Deaths conducted thousands of interviews, in places like Nogales they could only speak with a fraction of the migrants who crossed. This raised the issue of how representative their sample was, said Katerina Sinclair, a statistical consultant on the report.

But in Naco, a smaller town, they were able to speak with enough migrants to have a representative sample. So the report stays away from making conclusions about percentages except for the subset of interviewees from Naco. But despite the difficulties with such an ambitious project, the authors say that the numbers on their own are cause for concern.

Some 2,981 people reported they were denied food, and more than 11,000 said they were given insufficient food by the Border Patrol, the report states.

The report found that 863 people, many of whom were already dehydrated, were denied water.

There were nearly 6,000 cases of overcrowding reported, and almost 3,000 people had at least some personal belongings not returned, the report states.

In addition, 869 people -- including 17 children and 41 teenagers -- reported that they were split from their families and deported separately.

No More Deaths also recorded instances of sleep deprivation, death threats, and the forced holding of strenuous positions.

"There's no question that there is systematic abuse of people in Border Patrol custody," Danielle Alvarado, one of the report's authors, told CNN.

Although the research focused on migrants in the Arizona border area, the findings are consistent with reports from Border Patrol sectors across the country, she said.

"This systematic abuse must be confronted aggressively at the institutional level, not denied or dismissed as a series of aberrational incidents attributable to a few rogue agents," the report states.

In its statement, the Border Patrol responded that, "on a daily basis, agents make every effort to ensure that people in our custody are given food, water, and medical attention as needed."

"The sad reality is that between what they say on paper and the day-to-day reality there is a big disconnect," Alvarado said.

Brandon Judd, president of Local 2544, the Tucson branch of the National Border Patrol Council, said that it is No More Deaths' report that is disconnected from reality.

Border patrol agents are law-abiding citizens who believe in accountability, he said. "If these allegations are true, these are crimes," he said.

There are 3,000 agents in the Tucson Sector of the Border Patrol, Judd said, and one complaint every two weeks would be considered a lot. Agents also police themselves, he said.

"I can tell you that our agents are the ones who report mistreatment if they see it," he said.

He was skeptical about the types of questions that were asked and the credibility of the interviewees who were freshly repatriated.

"There's some glaring weaknesses in the story," he said.

But Sinclair said that care was taken to make sure that all conclusions were drawn from the Naco sample, which also happened to report the lowest rate of incidents. The questions were also phrased in a way to give credit to the Border Patrol where due.

"We gave them every benefit of the doubt," she said. But their research shows that "it only gets worse from here."

"It just doesn't ring true," Judd said.

The reports of abuses come as the number of apprehensions along the border has decreased. Increased border enforcement and a slow economic recovery in the United States have reduced the amount of illegal traffic across the border.

Also, No More Deaths reported, the demographics of those being deported have changed. A number of the migrants they interviewed were older and had been in the United States longer. One sample of 100 migrants revealed an average of 14.4 years of living in the United States before deportation.

In light of its report, its authors argue for legally enforceable standards, and a tougher oversight mechanism.

From October of last year to the present, about 115,000 migrants were apprehended by the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector.

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11 more bodies discovered in Mexico

Eleven more bodies were discovered in Veracruz, Mexico, days after 35 bodies were found on a busy road.The discovery comes after 35 dead bodies were found in VeracruzTop judicial officials meet near the site where 35 corpses were abandonedAn official blames the dozens of deaths on a drug dealing disputeMexico's attorney general pledges that "cowardly actions" will be punished

(CNN) -- Mexican authorities discovered 11 more bodies in the coastal state of Veracruz on Thursday, days after 35 bodies were found on a busy road in the same area, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.

The bodies were spotted Thursday evening in four different locations, the agency reported.

This grisly discovery comes as authorities are trying to get more information on the 35 bodies found Tuesday in two trucks near a shopping mall in the municipality of Boca del Rio.

The dead were 12 women and 23 men.

On Thursday, Mexico´s attorney general said the killing of the 35 people stemmed from a drug-dealing dispute.

"The effects of this illicit activity are not only seen reflected in the poisoning of our society, but it is also the motor generating the violence," Attorney General Marisela Morales told a meeting of state prosecutors and judges in Boca del Rio.

"The state cannot, must not and never will allow these types of cowardly actions to go unpunished," she said, describing the distribution of drugs as the "driving force" behind violence in cities throughout Mexico.

Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte, who opened Thursday´s meeting alongside Morales, noted that all the victims had criminal backgrounds -- a point authorities have repeatedly stressed since their investigation began Tuesday.

He said criminals have two possible paths to follow: prison or death.

"Those who choose badly end badly," Duarte said. "In the end, crime pays badly."

Mexico's federal government Wednesday released a statement describing the killings as a "barbaric act."

Two minors and a local police officer who had been reported missing were among the dead, Veracruz Attorney General Reynaldo Escobar Perez said.

Authorities had uncovered some details about vehicles involved after examining security camera footage, but were still searching for suspects.

Boca del Rio is in Veracruz state's most populated area. It has become a frequent site of clashes between armed groups as drug-related violence grows.

Government figures indicate that more than 34,600 people have been killed in drug-related violence since Mexican President Felipe Calderon began a crackdown on cartels in December 2006. Other reports estimate that more than 40,000 have died. The latest government figures were released in January.

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President Saleh returns to conflict-wracked Yemen

NEW: Crowd gathers for a pro-Saleh rallyGovernment forces shoot in the air to celebrate Saleh's returnTanks patrol the streets of SanaaProtesters have been calling for the ouster of the longtime Yemeni president

(CNN) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has returned home after undergoing treatment in Saudi Arabia, a government spokesman said Friday.

Saleh returned to Yemen after a three-month medical stay in Saudi Arabia, said Mohammed Albasha, the Yemeni government spokesman.

Protesters have been calling for the ouster of the longtime president, who had been recuperating from a June attack on his palace. He has vowed to finish his term.

Government forces shot in the air to celebrate his return as tanks patrolled the streets of Sanaa. By noon, a massive crowd gathered in central Sanaa in a rally in support of Saleh.

Earlier in the day there were isolated clashes between anti- government fighters and Republican Guard forces in at least four different areas in Sanaa, Yemen's capital.

Despite the pro-Saleh gathering, Yemeni activist and blogger Atiaf Alwazir, said she was concerned.

"It's terrible news," Alwazir said. "It's shocking because our concern was that he would try to place his son in charge. We didn't think he would return. We're very tense and we don't know what to expect. It's the polarization in the country that is so worrying right now. Whether he steps down or not, we don't know what to expect because the country is so polarized right now."

Protests were expected Friday, a continuation of the demonstrations against Saleh that have stretched on for months.

Demonstrators began protesting Saleh's 33-year-old regime on February 11 inspired by the revolution in Egypt.

A month later, Saleh offered to draft a new constitution that would establish a parliamentary system, but protesters persisted in calling for his resignation, and numerous high-ranking political and military officials resigned or were dismissed.

Saleh balked after making overtures to accept an agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council to step down and protests have continued.

Amnesty International said that since February, 200 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in the protests.

Government officials have repeatedly denied accusations of excessive use of force, and said the government is committed to establishing a peaceful transfer of power.

Yemeni officials have said forces cracked down on those committing acts of violence during protests."

CNN's Mohammed Jamjoon and journalist Hakim Almasmari contributed to this report.

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Social media to curb 'rumors' in China

Weibo is Sina's Twitter-like social media service, which boasts of 200 million registered users.Sina.com CEO Charles Chao pledges to curb irresponsible rumorsChao said Sina has been working to set up a "credibility system"Observers fear this is an attempt to tighten the control of the internet

Beijing (CNN) -- Don't post rumors -- or else.

That was Sina.com's message to millions of micro-bloggers recently, when China's leading content portal warned it will penalize users if they find them spreading false rumors on their Weibo account.

Weibo is Sina's Twitter-like social media service, which boasts of 200 million registered users.

Speaking at the China Digital Media Summit recently, Sina.com's CEO Charles Chao pledged to curb irresponsible rumors. "Weibo is a microcosm of a big society and a society needs to be properly managed by regulations," he said.

Chao said Sina has been working to set up a "credibility system," which would rate Weibo posts. This, Chao said, will "spread the real valuable information and punish those who make up rumors." The punishment includes imposing a temporary freeze on Weibo accounts, from one week to one month.

Observers of China's new media industry say this is another attempt by Beijing to tighten the control of the internet.

Earlier this year, Chinese bloggers battled through targeted internet censorship in the wake of dissident artist Ai Weiwei's release after nearly three months in police custody.

On Weibo words with the slightest linkage to Ai were banned, including "release," "AWW" and "the fat guy." The phrase "love the future," which looks and sounds like his name in Mandarin, was also blocked.

There has been government concern about the way the internet spreads information for years
Media observer, Jeremy Goldkorn

"There has been government concern about the way the internet spreads information for years," says Beijing-based media observer Jeremy Goldkorn. "Sina, like all internet companies, has no choice but to work with the government, which is something they have always been good at doing."

In August, Sina sent out "notices" to all users citing reports circulating in cyberspace that were untrue. One claimed that the Red Cross Society has been selling blood to Chinese hospitals at 200 yuan per pack even though it had been donated for free.

Weibo also set up an account intended to refute malicious rumors circulating among netizens. In a public statement issued in early September, Sina.com said Weibo Piyao would "ensure the authenticity" of information across the site.

"After the Wenzhou train accident, which saw a frenzy of angry posts on Weibo, the government wants internet companies to make sure that their websites do not pose any threat to social stability," said Goldkorn.

The high-speed train collision killed 39 people and sparked a massive outpouring of anger directed at officials for their handling of the crash. Much of that outrage played out on Weibo.

Weibo has long played host to fierce online debates about corruption and social injustice in China -- a delicate balancing act between meeting the expectations of a Web audience accustomed to speaking their minds and not offending the Chinese government to the point of a shut-down.

"Sina and other companies will have to regulate themselves and decide, in real time, what kinds of information to police," said Goldkorn.

But he said it is unclear what the criteria are for indentifying the rumors to censor.

In a recent interview with CNN, the Sina.com founder declined to offer specific numbers about how many Sina employees were managing and censoring Weibo content, but he conceded that "there are people working in terms of looking at the content itself and the message itself.

"There are a lot of rumors on the micro-blog itself, a lot of fraud on the micro-blog. There are a lot of things we need to take care of."

As if to reinforce that point, Beijing Communist Party chief Liu Qi recently visited Sina and Youku.com, China's leading video sharing website. According to the Beijing Daily, he urged them to "firmly end fake and harmful information" and to use new technology to "solve problems of online video management."

He added: "Internet companies should work to get rid of damaging or untruthful information and help to create a healthy positive online environment."

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HP CEO fired, replaced by Meg Whitman

Meg Whitman (left) will replace Leo Apotheker as Hewlett-Packard's CEO.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Hewlett-Packard's board on Thursday ousted CEO Leo Apotheker after just 11 months on the job, replacing him with Meg Whitman.

"I am honored and excited to lead HP," Whitman said in a prepared statement. "I believe HP matters -- it matters to Silicon Valley, California, the country and the world."

HP's board said the company needed a change at the top. The company cut its financial outlook three times in Apotheker's tenure, and on Thursday, HP said it was not confident it would be able to meet its sales targets for the current quarter.

Shareholders sent the stock down more than 40% this year before Fortune and other outlets broke the news this week that the board was considering letting Apotheker go.

"We are at a critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead," said Ray Lane, who on Thursday was named executive chairman of HP's board.

Lane was formerly an independent, non-executive chair. The company said it will look for someone to fill that independent role on its board.

The chairman said on a conference call Thursday that the board considered many candidates and decided together that Whitman was the right fit.

"I can't think of a name out there I would select as CEO over Meg," said Lane.

As the former head of European software giant SAP (SAP), Apotheker was a curious choice to lead HP (HPQ, Fortune 500) -- the largest U.S. technology company by sales -- since it is predominantly a hardware company. HP's software business makes up around 2% of the company's annual revenue, which hit $125 billion last year.

Apotheker stuck to what he knows best and decided to refocus HP on higher-margin businesses like cloud computing and software. He was particularly bullish on HP's acquisition of Palm, which was made prior to his arrival at the company. He planned to let Palm's webOS software permeate the company's various hardware lines, including PCs, phones and the much-publicized TouchPad tablet.

But the TouchPad was a failure, HP's phones weren't selling, and PC sales slumped globally. Last month, Apotheker announced yet another hard left turn: He opted to end the webOS experiment and said HP would get out of the PC business entirely -- a market that it leads both in the United States and globally.

The problem with Apotheker wasn't lack of vision as much as a lack of execution and communication, Lane said.

Whitman said Thursday that the company under her leadership would stay the course and continue to transition to an enterprise software business.

"The only thing we can do to regain investors' and customers' confidence is to execute, and that's what I intend to do," she said.

The ousting of its third straight CEO marks yet another dramatic crisis in a decade of turmoil for one of Silicon Valley's original pioneers. A year earlier, Mark Hurd was fired as HP's CEO after submitting false expense reports in what appeared to be an effort to conceal a relationship with a former employee.

In 2006, HP's chairwoman Pattie Dunn was shown the door after it was revealed that she had spearheaded a secret probe to spy on fellow board members and journalists, in an attempt to find the source of board-level media leaks.

A year before that, in 2005, then-CEO Carly Fiorina was booted out (she technically resigned, but, the move wasn't especially voluntary) after spearheading HP's the failed merger with Compaq. The company's stock price was cut in half during her tenure.

The CEO revolving door has cost the company more than $83 million in severance pay, including more than $25 million that will be owed to Apotheker.

Fending off criticism from analysts that the board is dysfunctional, Lane argued that the board is very different than the ones of the past, comprised of 8 new directors since the company ousted Hurd.

"I tell you this right from my heart," he said. "That's not this board. They work really well together."

Whitman, who is also an HP board member, was formerly the CEO of eBay (EBAY, Fortune 500). She headed the online auction site for 10 years, taking over the company in 1998 when it was in its infancy. By the time she left in 2008, the company had grown to an $8.5 billion e-commerce behemoth.

She was the Republican nominee in the 2010 California gubernatorial race, spending much of her fortune in her unsuccessful campaign. She then resurfaced several months later, when she was named to HP's board in January.

Lane, HP's chairman, praised Whitman, saying her experience gives her the right set of skills to steer HP back on course.

"Meg is a technology visionary with a proven track record of execution," he said. "She is a strong communicator who is customer focused with deep leadership capabilities. Furthermore, as a member of HP's board of directors for the past eight months, Meg has a solid understanding of our products and markets."

Still, many analysts were scratching their heads about the choice.

"I'm not really convinced she's the best fit -- HP needs to regain the confidence of its enterprise customers, and her expertise resides in the consumer retail market," said Ron Gruia, principal consultant at Frost & Sullivan.

"She's on the board, so she's a logical interim choice, but not a person who's going to be driver for HP as it transitions to a software and services kind of model," Gruia added.

Some believe that HP is making a fatal decision.

"As if HP didn't make a mistake on bringing in Leo Apotheker, now they are making an even bigger mistake by bringing in Meg Whitman, someone with very little experience in the core areas of HP," said Vanessa Alvarez, analyst at Forrester Research.

"This is plain carelessness by the board of directors, and quite frankly, hammering the last nail in the coffin for HP. Its leadership is in the gutter. I'm appalled," she added.

But other analysts believe Whitman is capable of doing the job, albeit a very difficult one.

"She's a great communicator; a great marketer; and, an excellent manager, but she'll need to put a strategic stamp on HP," said Joel Achramowicz, senior vice president of research at Blaylock Robert Van.

"There are even more questions and concerns regarding HP exigent from both the Street and from customers. She'll have to work expediently." 

First Published: September 22, 2011: 4:08 PM ET

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'Radioactive material' found in Libya

Material labeled 'radioactive' in LibyaNEW: Tunisia says it has detained Libya's former prime minister under GadhafiThe U.S. has been monitoring Libya's yellowcake stockpile, a defense official saysA military site containing barrels and bags of powder marked "radioactive" is revealedTroops have been putting pressure on several regime holdout cities in recent days

Sabha, Libya (CNN) -- A military site containing what appears to be radioactive material has been uncovered by revolutionary forces near the southern Libyan city of Sabha.

Military forces loyal to the country's National Transitional Council took a CNN crew Thursday to the site, not far from Sabha in the Sahara desert. The crew saw two large warehouses there, one containing thousands of blue barrels, some marked with tape saying "radioactive," and several plastic bags of yellow powder sealed with the same tape.

The material has not been confirmed as being radioactive, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency, confirmed Thursday that the Libyan government had yellowcake stored near Sabha.

Yellowcake is processed uranium ore that can, after extensive refining, be used to produce enriched uranium for nuclear purposes.

Fighters entered Sabha, long regarded as a pro-Gadhafi stronghold, on Wednesday afternoon and met initially no resistance, officials said.

Elsewhere, revolutionaries have taken control of the southwestern town of Ubari, chasing toops loyal to now-deposed leader Moammar Gadhafi from the area as Libya's new leaders continued to gain momentum, NTC field commander Al-Amin Shtawi said Thursday.

In another event likely boost to revolutionary morale, Libya's most recent prime minister under the Gadhafi regime, al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, was arrested Wednesday night in Tunisia, the government confirmed to CNN Thursday.

Al-Mahmoudi was detained in Tamaghza, near Tunisia's border with Algeria, the Tunisian interior ministry said, having entered Tunisia illegally without a visa. He was attempting to cross into Algeria at the time of his arrest, a ministry spokesman said.

"I believe the Libyan people will want to see him brought to Libya and put on trial here for his crimes under Gadhafi's rule," Abdul Rahman Busin, an NTC spokesman, told CNN.

The NTC has not yet formally requested al-Mahmoudi's extradition, he added.

The Algerian government on Thursday also declared its willingness to work "closely" with the new Libyan authorities, the official Algeria Press Service reported.

This cooperation would benefit both countries and "stimulate the appropriate conditions to maintain peace, security and stability in the region," the foreign ministry said in a statement quoted by APS.

Algeria had previously declined to recognize the NTC as the new government in Libya. A number of Gadhafi family members, including his wife and three of his children, fled Libya for Algeria last month.

In another sign that stability may be returning to Libya, the United States reopened its embassy in Tripoli Thursday, in the former residence of the U.S. ambassador to Libya. The old embassy building in the center of the city was trashed by Gadhafi supporters in May.

The military site outside Sabha, found Wednesday night, is now guarded by about a dozen lightly-armed revolutionary fighters. It does not appear to have been left unfrequented for long.

Protective suits were found hanging in offices that appear previously to have belonged to the Libyan government, along with rubber gloves, devices for measuring radioactivity and various military documents.

The second warehouse at the site contains rockets and old surface-to-air missiles on which the fuses have deteriorated, making them liable to explode if they're struck.

A field commander for the revolutionary forces said the NTC wanted the international community to come in, identify the suspect material and take it to a place of safekeeping. The forces fear it could cause an environmental disaster if it were to explode during fighting, he said.

John Pike, a defense expert at Global Security, told CNN the elderly rockets might pose a greater threat to safety than the suspected radioactive material.

The discovery of the material is not a surprise, he said, as the IAEA had established that yellowcake was at the site. The current status of the material is not known, however.

A U.S. Defense Department official, who declined to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the issue, told CNN that Libya's remaining stock of highly enriched uranium was removed from the country as of 2009.

"We also continue to monitor Libya's stockpile of uranium yellowcake," the official said. "This material would need to go through an extensive industrial process, including enrichment, before it could be used in building a bomb. Such processes do not exist in Libya."

The official said it was important that the NTC fully secured the site and that it worked to allow international monitors to return to Libya as soon as possible.

Gill Tudor, a spokeswoman for the IAEA, said it could confirm that previously declared yellowcake was stored in drums at a site near Sabha.

"The IAEA has tentatively scheduled safeguards activities at this location once the situation in the country stabilizes," she said in a statement.

These "safeguards" measures would not mean the IAEA was physically protecting the material -- a national responsibility -- but rather that it was carrying out technical checks on what was there to avoid proliferation, she said.

Libya declared its previously covert nuclear program in December 2003 and Gadhafi's government cooperated with verification efforts by the IAEA from that point on.

An IAEA report from 2008 states that Libya had declared that between 1978 and 1981 it imported 2,263 tonnes of uranium ore concentrate, which was being stored at Sabha. However, plans to build a uranium ore concentration and conversion facility in the Sabha area were not carried out, the report says.

The latest territorial gains by the revolutionary forces come days after the NTC received the significant milestone of being recognized by South Africa and the African Union as Libya's legitimate rulers.

Troops loyal to Libya's new leaders have been putting pressure on several regime holdout cities in recent days.

Along with Thursday's military action in Ubari, fighters also clashed with Gadhafi loyalists in the northern town of Bani Walid and in Sirte.

Ahmed Bani, an NTC military spokesman speaking in Tripoli Thursday, said revolutionary fighters had encountered mercenaries who appeared to be from Chad or Niger, and had uncovered caches of weapons and military supplies.

He said most of the towns in southern Libya had been "liberated" from Gadhafi loyalists and that revolutionary forces would continue to fight for control of Bani Walid. "Our revolutionaries won't lose hope," he said.

Despite not yet having complete control over the entire country, the NTC says it is planning on how to set up a new government.

Elamin Belhaj, a senior member of the NTC, told CNN Wednesday that the formation of a Libyan government will not be announced until anti-Gadhafi forces control the borders of the country and liberate the three cities of Bani Walid, Sirte and Sabha. That effort could take up to one month, he said.

After liberation, the NTC will create an interim government by appointing a prime minister who will be responsible for forming the government.

The prime minister will decide how many ministers will be in that interim government, but he must return to the NTC for approval of that government. That government will create a new constitution that will be put before the Libyan people for approval in a referendum.

CNN's Ben Wedeman, Barbara Starr, Houda Zaghdoudi, Zied Mhirsi, Kamal Ghattas, Brian Walker, Mohammed Fahmy, Pam Benson, Jill Dougherty and Helena DeMoura contributed to this report.

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Death toll in Pakistan floods rises to 369

Floods overwhelm Sindh and Balochistan provincesThe United Nations is seeking millions for relief effortsThis is the second consecutive year of deadly flooding for Pakistan

(CNN) -- At least 369 people have died and 700,000 are living in refugee camps because of flooding in southern Pakistan, the country's national disaster authority said Thursday.

The flooding in Sindh province has destroyed 1.5 million homes in 41,000 villages, the government said. About 8.2 million people have been affected. Along with the deaths, more than 740 people have been injured.

About 67 percent of food stocks have been destroyed and nearly 37 percent of the livestock has been lost "or sold to avoid loss," Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said earlier this week.

"At least 5 million surviving animals are at risk, lacking feed and shelter and facing increased exposure to debilitating diseases and worm infestations," Byrs said.

The United Nations' World Food Programme has been distributing food to thousands of people.

More than 6,000 schools have been damaged by the floods and 1,363 education facilities are currently being used as relief distribution sites in Sindh, officials said.

There also was flooding in Balochistan province but figures about the calamity there weren't available.

The United Nations said Monday that it is seeking donors to build a $357 million fund to help the Pakistani government's flood response efforts.

It is meant to provide food, water, sanitation, health care and shelter for flood victims for up to six months.

Pakistan was also the site of massive and deadly flooding in August 2010. It lasted for weeks and caused $9.7 billion in damages to homes, roads and farms in southwestern Pakistan.

More than 1,700 people died in the 2010 flooding, and more than 20 million were displaced, officials reported.

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