Eight more die in Karachi rain as army called in

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD/SWABI/CHITRAL: Saturday’s rain spell of the first monsoon system continued to play havoc with Karachi to the extent that the Pakistan Army had to be called in to help deal with the situation.

The showers caused more loss to human lives, leaving eight people dead in rain-related incidents in different parts of the city.

Police, hospital and rescue services officials said that all the eight people had died of electrocution.

Korangi Industrial Area SHO Inspector Akhlaq Ahmed said Abdul Khaliq, 28, the owner of a restaurant in Mehran Town, suffered an electric shock when he tried to change a light bulb inside his establishment and died as a result.

In another incident in Korangi, Abdul Rasool, 35, was electrocuted. His body was brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that a 30-year-old man, Abdul Ghaffar, was electrocuted in the Swat Colony area of Baldia Town.

Dr Summaiya said that another man, Inayatullah, 22, was electrocuted in Sohrab Goth near Al-Asif Square. He was a waiter at a restaurant and was climbing the staircase when he slipped and touched a wall with an electric board and died after suffering an electric shock.

A 23-year-old man, Raqeeb, was electrocuted in the Manghopir area. In North Karachi, a 13-year-old boy, Muzammil, died due to electric shock inside his home in Arsalan Homes. In Korangi’s 100 Quarters area, an old man died of an electric shock inside his home.

The Edhi Foundation spokesperson said a man, Tufail Khan, 32, died during landsliding in Baldia Town's Abidabad area when a heavy stone hit him. His body was shifted to the Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi. Dr Summaiya said Tufail Khan had been crushed underneath a rock rolling down a hill.

Karachi today received another innings of cloudburst as Saddar, Clifton, Cantt Station and Kala Pul were hit by heavy downpour. Many important thoroughfares in the city were inundated. Roads in Defence area were also flooded. Police closed all sides of the Korangi Causeway as causeway stream was in flood. Commuters were directed to use a diversion to reach the Korangi Industrial Area due to closure of the causeway. The people living in the adjoining areas of Thadu stream have been evacuated as the stream was overflowing.

Meanwhile, torrential rains and ensuing floods wreaked havoc in Balochistan on Saturday as the death toll rose to 58.

Several dams also failed in the province, where rescue efforts were underway in the wake of large-scale destruction. According to reports, Tangi Dam in Qila Saifullah has breached, inundating several adjoining areas. Many roads connecting the Pak-Afghan village were also inundated. A dam in Kan Mehtarzai also developed a breach. Besides, nine dams in Pishin, Muslim Bagh, Qila Abdullah and Zhob have failed.

Quetta Corps Commander General Sarfraz Ali visited the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Balochistan office, where the authorities concerned briefed him about the rescue operation being carried out in parts of the province in the wake of havoc played by the monsoon rains. As per the ISPR, the Balochistan chapter of the PDMA gave a briefing on the rescue and relief operation by various departments.

The Balochistan home minister, DG PDMA, and Balochistan chief secretary paid tributes to the Pakistan Army for leading the rescue and relief operation. Besides, the civil authorities praised the security institutions for providing support to the civil departments to save people’s lives and relief activities.

The Quetta corps commander provided the Pakistan Army’s full support to the civilian structure in the province. He expressed his grief on the loss of precious lives due to monsoon rains. The Quetta corps commander praised the efforts of all departments of the Balochistan government for helping the people in distress due to monsoon rains.

The administration has warned that the continuous spell of rain in Toba Achakzai might break down a dam over there. Almost 50 percent apple trees have been washed away in the flash floods in the area. The beleaguered residents have appealed to the authorities to provide free medical camps and food in the area. The local administration is actively engaged in rescue efforts in Kohlu, the worst-hit area of Balochistan. The administration is distributing free tents, food and other articles among the rain and flood affectees.

Heavy rain also pounded Lahore, Gujranwala, Daska, Narowal, Sialkot and Faisalabad, while Gujrat and Jehlum also received rain.

Farmers in village Muhammad Ameen Jaffery near Tangwani, district Kashmore-Kandhkot, Sindh, suffered loss of millions of rupees after the rice crop cultivated over hundreds of acres of land was inundated following a 25-feet wide breach in Musa Allahabad Canal on Saturday. The water was fast moving towards nearby localities, spreading fear and panic among the residents. And to make the matters worse, the irrigation department staff had not reached the site, leaving the locals to stop the flow of water on their own. This was for the second time in a week that a breach had developed in Musa Allahabad Canal.

Thand Koi Road in Swabi, KP, was totally submerged in the deluge. Several vehicles were stuck in the flash flood. After getting information, the 1122 Rescue Disaster teams reached the venue and succeeded in pulling out more than six vehicles swept away in the torrents. They also rescued more than 18 people who were stranded in the area due to flash floods. The Pakistan Army officials are helping the civil administration to rescue people stuck in the flooded areas.

Meanwhile, four hours of continuous rain overnight in Islamabad left the city largely submerged, Geo News reported early Saturday morning. Sector H/13 of Islamabad was particularly flooded due to the heavy rain, with water entering the basements of buildings in the neighbourhood. People incurred millions of rupees worth of damages and rescue teams could not enter the area to aid those stranded.

Later in the morning, Commissioner Irfan Nawaz said that the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad along with the district administration were draining the water with de-watering pumps.

In Rawalpindi, the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has issued a high alert. Heavy equipment has been delivered to low-lying areas, and authorities are monitoring the water flow in Nullah Lai, according to the WASA Managing Director Muhammad Tanveer.

According to MD WASA, the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have received a total of 55mm of rain. He said the water level at the Katarian point of Nullah Lai is 15 feet, while at Gawalmandi Bridge is nine feet.

Heavy sleet caused land sliding in Murree and blocked several parts. Traffic remained suspended and an operation to clean roads is underway.

Meanwhile, the Chitral Development Movement on Saturday asked the government to order the relevant officials to rebuild the damaged road in Reshun village in the upper parts of Chitral.

Speaking at a press conference here, the movement's Chairman Waqas Ahmad Advocate criticized the National Highways Authority (NHA) and the provincial Irrigation Department for failing to take steps to reconstruct the road, which was swept away by flash floods. They said that Upper Chital had been cut off from the rest of the country after the road in Reshun village was devoured by the river. They added that the river had eaten up a major portion of the road in Reshun village over the last four years, but the authorities concerned were least bothered to take steps to stop the damage.

The Met Department forecast heavy rains in Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Upper Punjab, and Kashmir. Meanwhile, rain with strong winds and thunderstorms is expected in lower Sindh and Kashmir. The Meterological Department has predicted heavy rain in Peshawar, Nowshera and Mardan on Sunday. It has also forecast torrential rains in many areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including Kotli, where streams and nullahs might face flooding. There is also a warning of landsliding in these places. In interior Sindh, there is rain forecast for Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Badin and Dadu. The Met Office said that many cities in Balochistan, including Quetta, will be barrelled by sleet.

According to the Pakistan Meterological Department, Mardan will receive heavy showers that might lead to overflowing of its streams and nullahs. Mardan Deputy Commissioner Habib Ullah Arif has issued a notification directing all departments and officers to be on their toes 24/7 to deal with the emergency situation.

Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman tweeted: “Sindh and Balochistan going thru very high percentages of rainfall over a 30 year average.”