Heavy rains caused considerable damage, with buildings collapsing in two different locations.
Heavy rains and strong winds batter the city, destroying walls and exposing structural vulnerabilities. Photo: Online
MIRANSHAH:
Heavy rain wreaked havoc in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu, where building collapses killed six people and injured dozens more on Sunday, while three others died in two deadly rain-related incidents in Punjab, rescuers in the two provinces said.
In Bannu, heavy downpours caused considerable damage, with buildings collapsing in two different locations. 1122 rescue teams said at least six people lost their lives, while more than 30 others were injured, several seriously.
In one incident, Rescue 1122 said three people died at Shahbaz Azmatkhel Mosque in Kotka Ghulam Qadir. The deceased were wedding guests, who had taken refuge in the veranda of the mosque, which collapsed. Several people were trapped under the rubble.
The 1122 rescue teams, assisted by local residents, shifted the injured to the district headquarters hospital and Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital. The husband, Khalid, was among the 25 injured, according to initial reports.
The other tragic incident took place in Warishmi Kalah Mandan, where the roof of a dilapidated house collapsed, killing three children and seriously injuring two others. Rescue officials said the house belonged to Sher Muhammad and his five children were inside the room when the roof collapsed.
Two children were rescued and taken to hospital after receiving first aid, but his two daughters and a son succumbed to their injuries. Bannu Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Faheem visited the district headquarters hospital and authorities to ensure adequate treatment to the injured.
The KP PDMA said on Sunday that eight people had died in rain-related incidents in the province since March 25.
Punjab
In Lahore, two people died and two others were injured when heavy rain and strong winds caused the roof of a house to collapse in the Badami Bagh area in the early hours of Sunday. Emergency crews cleared the debris, making sure no one else was trapped.
Another rain-related incident in Bahawalpur district claimed the life of a 70-year-old man. The elderly motorcyclist slipped on a wet road in Tail Wala area of Yazman tehsil and sustained fatal head injuries. Emergency services arrived on the scene and handed over his body to his loved ones.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned that strong winds, thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rain are likely to persist until Monday (today) in parts of the country, with some areas at risk of flash flooding.
Northern Balochistan districts – including Zhob, Musakhel, Sibi, Kohlu, Barkhan, Naseerabad and Loralai – are particularly vulnerable, while local rivers in upper and central KP and Azad Kashmir could overflow.
According to PMD, most areas will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies, with scattered rains expected in KP, upper and central Punjab, Islamabad, northeast Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.
Isolated showers could occur in southern Punjab and Sindh, and hail accompanied by strong winds could damage fragile infrastructure. In Sindh, cities like Karachi, Hyderabad, Badin, Thatta and Umerkot may experience above-normal winds.
