Floodwaters begin receding in a major Pakistani city but nearby towns face evacuations

Multan, Pakistan — Floodwaters that had threatened a major town in eastern Punjab province began to recede Friday, sparing its 700,000 residents, but rising waters swamped villages near two nearby cities, forcing panicked evacuations, Pakistani officials said.

The Disaster Management Authority said waters around Jalalpur Pirwala, which had touched the official danger mark, are now falling and are expected to drop significantly within 48 hours.

But rescue workers were racing to evacuate families from Shujaabad and Liaquatpur, where swollen rivers submerged surrounding villages.

Flooding last week inundated dozens of villages near Jalalpur Pirwala, displacing tens of thousands of people.

Many from the city fled when authorities warned that raging water from the Sutlej and Chenab rivers