Child among six dead in Karachi, seven killed in Balochistan; four lives lost in KP
A pool of rainwater is creating traffic flow problems in Quetta. Photo: PPI
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI/QUETTA/PESHAWAR:
Torrential rains and severe weather swept across Pakistan on Thursday, devastating 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, mainly from electrocution, when heavy rain and strong winds flooded roads and low-lying neighborhoods and caused widespread power outages.
Among the victims was Dua Batool, 12, who was electrocuted at her home in the town of Surjani. Police and rescue teams reported other incidents of electrocution at PIB Colony, SITE Expressway and MA Jinnah Road.
The collapse of the walls further aggravated the city’s woes. In Pak Colony, a wall of a two-story building fell on a rickshaw near Old Golimar, killing the driver instantly. Three children have been injured in another wall collapse in Orangi town.
In another incident, a hearse bus returning from a funeral lost control near the FTC Flyover and crashed into a wall, injuring one person and briefly blocking traffic.
The rain also claimed lives elsewhere in Sindh. A folk singer, Ustad Dilsher Tewno, died in a road accident near Ranipur caused by slippery conditions, while a woman from Matyari district was electrocuted.
Balochistan
Across Balochistan, seven people died and four others were injured over the past two days as heavy rains continued for a second consecutive day in several districts, with flash floods washing away homes, crops, properties and livestock.
In Kachhi district, lightning strikes in Dhadar and Loralai tehsils killed two children, while collapsing walls and roofs in Loralai and Kohlu claimed other lives. In Jafarabad, a child was swept away in a stream and two people drowned in Kech.
A major breach in the embankment of the Nari River in Bala Nari tehsil caused catastrophic flooding, destroying more than 100 houses in Goth Taj Habib and Goth Balochani, submerging nearly 400 acres of agricultural land and killing more than 50 heads of cattle.
Highways and roads have become impassable. Harnai-Sanjawi and Harnai-Quetta roads remain closed, while flash floods have inundated seasonal rivers and nullahs in Harnai and Chaman.
Flood waters submerged villages in Dera Bugti, Bhag, Jhal Magsi, Naseerabad and other areas. In Dera Murad Jamali, damage to terracotta houses left many homeless. The rains also disrupted life in Gwadar, Pasni, Marah and Nokundi.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
KP reported four additional deaths, bringing the death toll in the province 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 flood alert (GLOF) for Upper Chitral, Swat and Upper Kohistan, warning that rising temperatures and rainfall could trigger flash floods and landslides.
Further rain and hailstorms are forecast
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Friday (today) predicted widespread rains, windstorms and thunderstorms across the country, with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms in several areas.
Northeast Balochistan, upper Sindh, KP, Punjab and Kashmir are expected to experience widespread rains 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 trigger flash floods in districts including Zhob, Musakhel, Sherani, Barkhan, Sibi, Kohlu, Dera Bugti, Nasirabad, Jhal Magsi, Qilla Saifullah, Qilla Abdullah, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar and Lasbela.
Local rivers and nullahs of lower KP, including Kurram, Waziristan, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Karak, Hangu and Kohat, are also expected to overflow. Windstorms, hail and lightning can damage fragile structures.
On Thursday, Karachi recorded 70 mm in Nazimabad, 56 mm in Keamari and 48 mm in Saadi town. Jacobabad received 22 mm, Hyderabad 13 mm and Larkana 8 mm. In KP, Parachinar recorded 27 mm and Dera Ismail Khan 15 mm. 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 informed about weather alerts as the country braces for further heavy rain and storms.
(WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OUR QUETTA CORRESPONDENT SARDAR HAMEED KHAN & APP)
