ISLAMABAD, Shawwal 21, 1436, August 06, 2015, SPA --Pakistani authorities say the nationwide death toll from monthlong flooding has risen to 169, as rescuers use helicopters and boats to move stranded residents to higher ground, AP reported. The National Disaster Management Authority says the floods, which began in early July, have affected 900,000 people in 2,495 villages across Pakistan. The authority says in a statement Thursday that most of the flood-related deaths were reported in the northwest, where at least 79 people died due to flooding. It says the floods have also killed 48 people in the eastern Punjab province. It says floodwaters this week hit hundreds of villages and that so far rescuers have evacuated nearly 800,000 people. Every year, floods triggered by monsoon rains kill scores of people in Pakistan. --SPA 14:39 LOCAL TIME 11:39 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w