Child among six dead in Karachi, seven killed in Balochistan; four lives lost in KP
A puddle of rainwater creates problems in the free flow of traffic in Quetta. Photo: PPI
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI/QUETTA/PESHAWAR:
Thunderstorms and violent weather swept across 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, mainly due to electrocution, as heavy rain and strong winds flooded roads, low-lying neighborhoods and triggered widespread power outages.
Among the dead was 12-year-old Dua Batool, who was electrocuted inside her home in Surjani Town. Police and rescue teams reported additional electrocution incidents in PIB Colony, SITE Superhighway and MA Jinnah Road.
Wall collapse further aggravated the city’s suffering. In Pak Colony, a two-storey building wall fell on a rickshaw near Old Golimar, killing the driver instantly. Three children were injured in a separate 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.
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 in 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 the second consecutive day in several districts with flash floods sweeping away homes, crops, property 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 additional lives. In Jafarabad, a child was swept away in a stream and two people drowned in Kech.
A major breach of Nari river dam in Bala Nari tehsil caused catastrophic floods, destroying over 100 homes in Goth Taj Habib and Goth Balochani, submerging nearly 400 hectares of agricultural land and killing more than 50 livestock.
Highways and roads were made impassable. Harnai-Sanjawi and Harnai-Quetta routes remain closed while flash floods inundated seasonal streams and nullahs in Harnai and Chaman.
Floods have submerged villages across Dera Bugti, Bhag, Jhal Magsi, Naseerabad and other areas. In Dera Murad Jamali, damage to mud houses left many homeless. Rainfall also disrupted life in Gwadar, Pasni, Marah and Nokundi.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
KP reported four more deaths, bringing the province’s 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 Warning (GLOF) for Upper Chitral, Swat and Upper Kohistan, warning that rising temperatures and rainfall could trigger flash floods and landslides.
Additional rain, hail
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted widespread rain-windstorm and thundershowers 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 thundershowers, while South 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 streams and nullahs in lower KP including Kurram, Waziristan, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Karak, Hangu and Kohat are also expected to overflow. Windstorms, hailstorms and lightning can damage weak structures.
On Thursday, Karachi recorded 70 mm in Nazimabad, 56 mm in Keamari and 48 mm in Saadi Town. Jacobabad received 22mm, Hyderabad 13mm and Larkana 8mm. In KP, Parachinar recorded 27mm and Dera Ismail Khan 15mm. Lasbela recorded 15mm in Balochistan and Bahawalnagar 13mm in Punjab.
Authorities continue to urge residents to exercise caution, avoid low-lying areas and stay updated on weather alerts as the country braces for more heavy rain and storms.
(WITH INPUTS FROM OUR QUETTA CORRESPONDENT SARDAR HAMEED KHAN & APP)
