One child among six killed in Karachi, seven killed in Balochistan; four lives lost in KP
A puddle of rainwater creates problems in the free movement of traffic in Quetta. Photo: PPI
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI/QUETTA/PESHAWAR:
Torrential rains and adverse weather conditions hit Pakistan on Thursday, leaving devastation in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), killing more than a dozen people and disrupting daily life.
In Karachi, at least six people lost their lives, mostly from electrocution, when heavy rains and strong winds flooded roads and slums and caused widespread power outages.
Among the dead was 12-year-old Dua Batool, who was electrocuted inside her home in the city of Surjani. Police and rescue teams reported additional incidents of electrocution at PIB Colony, SITE Superhighway and MA Jinnah Road.
The collapse of the wall further aggravated the city’s problems. In Pak Colony, the wall of a two-storey building fell on a rickshaw near Old Golimar, killing the driver instantly. Three children were injured in another wall collapse in Orangi Town.
In another incident, a hearse bus returning from a funeral lost control near the FTC overpass and crashed into a wall, injuring one person and briefly blocking traffic.
The rain also claimed lives in other parts of Sindh. A folk singer, Ustad Dilsher Tewno, died in a road accident near Ranipur caused by slippery conditions, while a woman in Matyari district was electrocuted.
Balochistan
Across Balochistan, seven people were killed and four others injured in the last two days as heavy rains continued for the second consecutive day in multiple districts with flash floods washing away houses, crops, properties and livestock.
In Kachhi district, lightning strikes in Dhadar and Loralai tehsils killed two children, while wall and roof collapses in Loralai and Kohlu claimed more lives. In Jafarabad, a child was swept away by a stream and two people drowned in Kech.
A major breach in the Nari river embankment in Bala Nari tehsil led to catastrophic floods that destroyed more than 100 houses in Goth Taj Habib and Goth Balochani, submerged nearly 400 acres of agricultural land and killed more than 50 cattle.
Highways and roads were impassable. The Harnai-Sanjawi and Harnai-Quetta routes remain closed, while flash floods inundated seasonal streams and nullahs in Harnai and Chaman.
Floods have submerged villages in Dera Bugti, Bhag, Jhal Magsi, Naseerabad and other areas. In Dera Murad Jamali, damage to mud houses left many people homeless. The rains also disrupted life in Gwadar, Pasni, Marah and Nokundi.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
KP reported four additional deaths, bringing the provincial death toll to 25 since March 25. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported 18 children, two men and five women among the dead, with dozens more injured and 88 houses damaged.
The authority also issued a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) alert for Upper Chitral, Swat and Upper Kohistan, warning that rising temperatures and rainfall could lead to flash floods and landslides.
More rain and hail are forecast
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast widespread rain, windstorms and thunderstorms across the country on Friday (today), with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms in several regions.
Northeast Balochistan, upper Sindh, KP, Punjab and Kashmir are likely to experience widespread rain and thunderstorms, while southern and central Balochistan, lower Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan may experience similar conditions in isolated areas.
The PMD warned that heavy rains could lead to flash floods in districts such as Zhob, Musakhel, Sherani, Barkhan, Sibi, Kohlu, Dera Bugti, Nasirabad, Jhal Magsi, Qilla Saifullah, Qilla Abdullah, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar and Lasbela.
Local streams and nullahs in lower KP are also expected to overflow, including Kurram, Waziristan, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Karak, Hangu and Kohat. Wind storms, hail, and lightning can damage weak structures.
On Thursday, Karachi recorded 70mm in Nazimabad, 56mm in Keamari and 48mm in Saadi Town. Jacobabad received 22 mm, Hyderabad 13 mm and Larkana 8 mm. In KP, Parachinar shot 27mm and Dera Ismail Khan 15mm. Lasbela recorded 15 mm in Balochistan and Bahawalnagar 13 mm in Punjab.
Authorities continue to urge residents to exercise caution, avoid low-lying areas and stay up to date on weather alerts as the country braces for more heavy rain and storms.
(WITH INPUTS FROM OUR QUETTA CORRESPONDENT, SARDAR HAMEED KHAN AND APP)
