Torrential rain inundates Karachi, 8 people die

900 feeder trips in Karachi, internet suspended, roads closed, flights canceled, public holiday today, instructions not to leave homes unnecessarily, 4 died in Rahim Yar Khan and Harnai

20 valleys of Diamer declared disaster-hit, dam broken in Bahawalpur, 1358 deaths in Pakhtunkhwa, rains till August 22, warning of flooding in low-lying areas in Sindh, Balochistan

Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Bahawalpur, Vehari (Special Correspondent, Crime Reporter, Special Reporter, District Reporters, Monitoring Desk) Heavy rains submerged Karachi. Highways were closed. Water entered houses. Urban flooding situation arose in different areas of the city. 8 people died in wall collapses and other accidents. The Prime Minister contacted the Chief Minister of Sindh and assured all kinds of cooperation in the emergency situation. In Karachi, Surjani Town, Federal B Area, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Qayyumabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Malir, Shara-e-Faisal, Nazimabad, New Karachi received heavy rain with strong winds. Water accumulated in the inner streets along the main roads. In Gulshan-e-Hadeed, the streets were flooded due to heavy rain and water entered the houses. People started storing their valuables in safe places. Rainwater accumulated in Hassan Square, Nipa Chowrangi, Zia Colony, Gulshan-e-Shamim, Liaquatabad No. 10, Jail Chowrangi, Karsaz, Korangi and Expressway and other areas. Traffic flow was severely affected. Up to 146 mm of rain was recorded. 14 people were killed and one person was injured when a wall of a house collapsed near Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 12. The deceased include Maryam daughter of Afzal, age 4, Hamza son of Afzal, age 3, and Samia wife of Mubeen, age 24. A 28-year-old man died, his identity was not known, a 10-year-old child was injured. An 8-year-old child, Abdullah son of Abbas, died when a wall of a house collapsed near the Aqsa Mosque in Orangi Town Sector 11.5 Khalil Market. One person died of electrocution in North Karachi and another died of electrocution in Defense Khayaban Bukhari. One person was burnt to death in a fire at a petrol pump in Malir. Power supply to 8 of the 900 feeders in the city was also cut off. Internet service was also suspended. 456 flights were canceled in Karachi due to limited visibility due to rain. 20 flights were delayed. An IP flight from Skardu to PK was diverted to Sukkur Airport and a foreign airline flight from Dubai was diverted to Multan. According to the Meteorological Department, the second spell of rains in the city on Tuesday was more intense. A new series of rains is expected in the city after August 25. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has ordered the relevant agencies to remain on high alert during the monsoon rains. The Meteorological Department has predicted three days of torrential rain in Karachi. The Sindh government has declared a public holiday in Karachi today. Schools and colleges will remain closed. The Technical Board has also postponed exams. Sindh Provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has asked citizens not to step out of their homes unnecessarily. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has offered all kinds of assistance to the Sindh government over the rains in Karachi. The Prime Minister made a telephonic contact with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and offered to provide all kinds of assistance to deal with this emergency situation. The Prime Minister directed the Chairman NDMA to be in constant touch with the Sindh government and be fully prepared for the rain expected in the next one or two days. Three children died after the roof of a house collapsed due to torrential rain in Balochistan’s Harnai district and were swept away by a flash flood. One child died after being swept away in water and two children died after the roof of their house collapsed. More than 100 houses were damaged in Sorab. In Rahim Yar Khan, a wall of a house collapsed due to rain. A laborer died after being buried under the debris. Abid of Chak 26A died after a wall collapsed in Chak 28A. In Multan, there was light rain and in some places heavy rain. In Kot Addu, it rained for one and a half hours. It rained in Vehari. The water level of the Sutlej River rose at Head Islam and relief teams set up camps in Mailsi. Hundreds of acres of land were submerged in the Lala Dera settlement in Bahawalpur, causing crores of rupees in losses to farmers. Three thousand acres of agricultural land were submerged. Farmers lost crores of rupees. The water level in the Chenab River rose in Bosan due to the rain. Settlements and mango orchards were in danger. The Ahmed Khan A and B settlements of Jhok Uttar Aspar Rindwala area of Tehsil Kot Chatha, Hazara village were hit by the flash floods that came yesterday. Water entered houses. The Gilgit-Baltistan government has declared 20 valleys of Diamer district as disaster-hit. Several closed places have been restored in Ghizer district. The Baltistan Highway in Skardu has been restored for traffic after 5 days. Islamabad City received 9 mm of rain. The highest rainfall was recorded in Sindh in Karachi at Gulshan-e-Hadeed 145, Airport Old Area 138, Keamari 137, Jinnah Terminal 135, University Road 132, Saadi Town 123, DHA 121, Faisal Khan 114, Surjani Town 111 and North Karachi 108 mm of rain. Tando Jam 45, Tharparkar received 17 mm of rain in Islamkot. In Punjab, Noorpur Thal received 104 mm of rain, Kot Addu 70 mm, Rahim Yar Khan 68 mm, Bhakkar 67 mm, Joharabad 53 mm and Sargodha 52 mm. In Balochistan, Khuzdar received 60 mm of rain and Sibi 40 mm of rain.

© express.com.pk