Child among six dead in Karachi, seven killed in Balochistan; four lives lost in K-P
A pool of rainwater creates problems in free flow of traffic in Quetta. Photo: PPI
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI/QUETTA/PESHAWAR:
Torrential rain and severe weather swept across Pakistan on Thursday, leaving devastation in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), killing more than a dozen people and disrupting daily life.
In Karachi, at least six people lost their lives, mostly due to electrocution, as heavy rain and strong winds inundated roads, low-lying neighbourhoods, and triggered widespread power outages.
Among the deceased 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 collapses further compounded the city’s woes. In Pak Colony, a two-storey building wall fell onto 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 burial lost control near 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 a second consecutive day in multiple 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 in the Nari River embankment in Bala Nari tehsil caused catastrophic flooding, destroying over 100 homes in Goth Taj Habib and Goth Balochani, submerging nearly 400 acres of agricultural land and killing more than 50 livestock.
Highways and roads were rendered impassable. The HarnaiSanjawi and HarnaiQuetta routes remain closed, while flash floods inundated seasonal streams and nullahs in Harnai and Chaman.
Floodwaters 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
K-P reported four additional deaths, raising the provincial death toll to 25 since March 25. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported 18 children, two men, and five women among 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 trigger flash floods and landslides.
Further rain, hailstorms forecast
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted widespread rain-windstorm and thunderstorms across the country on Friday (today), with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms in several regions.
Northeastern Balochistan, upper Sindh, K-P, Punjab and Kashmir are likely to experience widespread rain and thunderstorms, while southern and central Balochistan, lower Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan may see similar conditions in isolated areas.
The PMD cautioned that heavy rains could trigger flash flooding 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 K-P, including Kurram, Waziristan, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Karak, Hangu and Kohat, are also expected to overflow. Windstorms, hailstorms, and lightning may damage weak structure.
On Thursday, Karachi recorded 70mm in Nazimabad, 56mm in Keamari, and 48mm in Saadi Town. Jacobabad received 22mm, Hyderabad 13mm, and Larkana 8mm. In K-P, 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 further heavy rain and storms.
(WITH INPUTS FROM OUR QUETTA CORRESPONDENT SARDAR HAMEED KHAN & APP)
