Heavy rains caused widespread destruction, with buildings collapsing in two different locations
Heavy rain and strong winds batter the city, tearing apart walls and exposing structural vulnerabilities. Photo: Online
MIRANSHAH:
Heavy rain is wreaking havoc in Bannu in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where building collapses killed six people and injured dozens of others on Sunday, while three others died in two rain-related fatalities in Punjab, rescuers in the two provinces said.
In Bannu, a heavy downpour caused widespread destruction, with buildings collapsing in two different places. Rescue 1122 team said at least six people lost their lives while more than 30 sustained injuries, several of them critically.
In one incident, Rescue 1122 said three people died at Shahbaz Azmatkhel Mosque in Kotka Ghulam Qadir. The dead were the wedding guests who had sought shelter on the mosque’s veranda, which collapsed. Several people were trapped under the debris.
Rescue team 1122, assisted by local residents, shifted the injured to District Headquarters Hospital and Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital. The groom, Khalid, was among the 25 injured, according to initial reports.
The second tragic incident took place in Warishmi Kalah Mandan where the roof of a dilapidated house collapsed killing three children and critically 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 moved 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 the authorities to ensure proper treatment of 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 in Badami Bagh area to collapse in the early hours of Sunday. Emergency crews cleared the wreckage and ensured no one else was trapped.
A separate 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 a fatal head injury. Rescue officials reached the spot and handed over his body to relatives.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned that strong winds, thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rain are likely to continue till Monday (today) in parts of the country, with some areas at risk of flash floods.
Northern Balochistan districts – including Zhob, Musakhel, Sibi, Kohlu, Barkhan, Naseerabad and Loralai – are particularly vulnerable, while local streams in upper and central KP and Azad Kashmir may overflow.
According to the PMD, most areas will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with scattered rain expected in KP, upper and central Punjab, Islamabad, northeast Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.
Isolated showers may occur in southern Punjab and Sindh, and hail accompanied by strong winds may damage weak infrastructure. In Sindh, cities including Karachi, Hyderabad, Badin, Thatta and Umerkot may experience above-normal winds.
