Heavy rains sweep across Pakistan, killing at least 34

KARACHI (Dawn): Heavy monsoon rains swept across Pakistan on Saturday, claiming up to 34 lives and leaving several people injured in different parts of the country. At least seven people were killed by rain-related incidents in different areas of Balochistan, said provincial secretary information Qamar Masood. Masood said the torrential rains played havoc in Jhal Magsi, Hub, Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Sibi, Bolan, and other parts of the province, with several houses collapsing under the downpour. Heavy rain caused the wall of a factory to buckle in the town of Hub, killing at least five people, including three children. One person was killed in Jhal Magsi while another died in Loralai due to rain related accidents. Electrocution and similar incidents claimed at least eight lives in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province. Several other people sustained injuries. According to police, hospitals and rescue officials, three people died from electrocution in Paposh Nagar and Liaquatabad areas, while one person was killed in Model Colony. Two children drowned in a storm-water drain in Korangi No.5 and another drowned in North Nazimabad area. A three-year-old child died when the roof of his house collapsed in Gulzar-e-Hijri area. In another incident, the roof of a CNG station collapsed at NIPA Chowrangi, leaving several people injured. Scores of vehicles were stranded on the submerged roads and their occupants were seen trying to push them through water. The Liaquatabad Underpasses were badly flooded and appeared to lack a storm-water exit. Many areas remained without power supply following the downpour. Moreover, thousands of people living in low-lying areas lost their homes and many neighbourhoods went through long power breakdowns. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has directed all the divisional commissioners of the province and administration of Karachi to remain alert in view of heavy monsoon rains. Different cities and towns in interior Sindh also received heavy rainfall. Continuous and unprecedented rains claimed at least two lives as they lashed Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts of Sindh. Meanwhile, torrential downpour also paralysed civic life in Hyderabad, inundating several areas and flooding all main arteries. Division Commissioner Jamal Mustafa Syed has declared rain emergency in all districts of Hyderabad. Administrator Hyderabad Barkat Rizvi said the army could be called in for relief efforts if the continuous downpour did not stop. Earlier, torrential rain and flashfloods killed at least seventeen people including five children in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). In the most recent incident, four people drowned in gushing flood waters in North Waziristan Agency. The rains have caused about 120 houses to collapse in different areas of the province, said Latifur Rehman, a provincial disaster management spokesman. Thousands are reported to have been rendered homeless. in the most affected areas which included Charsadda, Nowshera, Swat, Chitral and Peshawar, the provincial capital. According to the meteorological department, more rainfall is expected during the next 24 hours in several parts of the country. Prime Minister Mohammed Nawaz Sharif expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of lives and property in rain related incidents in the country. According to a statement, the prime minister, who is on a private visit to Saudi Arabia, is constantly being updated about rains and floods situation in the country. The Prime Minister has directed all departments and agencies concerned to remain in touch with the provincial governments and mobilise their services on emergency basis to extend help to the affected people.