Death toll reaches 30,000 in Pakistan

An IANS report quotes a Pakistan official as saying that the death toll in Pakistan has crossed 30,000. This comes after Shaukat Aziz, Pakistan's prime minister, and Shaukat Sultan, a military spokesperson, had come up with figures of 18,000. AP reports that Pakistan television is saying that the toll is more than 25,000.

Meanwhile, the World Bank has announced a rescue package of US$ 20 million to Pakistan.