lahore - At least 50 people were killed and dozens others injured in rain-related accidents in several parts of the country on Sunday.
The rains wreak havoc in Punjab where floodwater inundated several low-lying areas, caused collapse of several houses and destroyed crops in thousands of hectares of land.
Southern Punjab was the worst hit where over 30 people were killed and several others, including women and children, were injured in rain-related incidents.
In Multan and DG Khan, at least 25 persons have so far lost their lives while 15 others injured in rain-related mishaps as heavy downpour continued to play havoc in Multan and adjoining areas for the last two days.
In Muzaffargarh, at least eight people were killed and two others injured in roof collapse and other incidents. Two children were killed and many others injured in Burewala, where many mud houses also collapsed due to the continuous rain.
Torrential rains in Lahore killed two people, husband and wife, in Gwalmandi area. A boy was killed while his mother and his brother were injured in a roof collapse in Shergarh, Okara.
Sindh was also affected by heavy rains where at least five people were electrocuted in Hyderabad city. The port city of Karachi was also hit by heavy rain. Rainwater entered the houses in low-lying areas of Karachi and some other areas of the province. Traffic was also affected as roads in the city were submerged under rain water.
Parts of Balochistan also had heavy rains and several houses and crops were inundated by the flood water in various areas. At least five people including women and children were killed as a house collapsed in Qila Saifullah area of the province.
Widespread rain and thundershower with scattered heavy falls are expected during Monday across the country. A low air pressure will enter Pakistan during next 32 hours which is expected to cause heavy downpours in the country next week, the Met Office said in a statement.
Pakistan has been hit by heavy monsoon rains since the third week of August. To date, over 100 people have been killed and several others injured in rain-related accidents across the country. Monsoon rains hit Pakistan every year in June and they usually start to retreat during the first week of September.
Heavy rainfall in September is quite uncommon because of the country’s geographical location. However, since last two years, the country has observed widespread rainfall in September, including the dry areas like southern and southeastern cities.
Our correspondent from Toba Tek Singh reported that heavy rain destroyed and damaged dozens of houses besides harming crops over extensive areas in the district. Three persons, including a mother and her daughter, also died while over a dozen were injured in the rain-related incidents.
In Chak 184 GB near Rojhana, roof of the house of a farmer caved in killing his wife Mumtaz Bibi and daughter Nasreen Akhtar while his three minor sons were wounded. The injured were admitted to Kamalia THQ Hospital. In Chak 54/2 GB Tukra near Kamalia, a nine year old boy Shehzad died when roof of his house fell on him. His three relatives were also wounded.
In Paira Colony also an aged woman was injured in a roof collapse. In Gojra’s Rasoolpura locality, two boys were injured when roof of their house collapsed. Dozens of mud houses also fell in different villages of the district and at least five persons were wounded.
Our Burewala correspondent reported that two children were killed and many others injured after torrential rains hit the area on second consecutive day here. Many mud houses also collapsed due to the continuous rain.
Muhammad Talha, 5, along with his mother and brother Samiullah, 13, was waiting for public transport when a wall collapsed on them at Chungi No. 5 Multan Road. Resultantly, Talha was killed on the spot while his brother got injured. In another incident, Muhammad Nadeem, 10, resident of Chak No. 187/EB was drowned in a pond during the rain.
Three women, Jameela, 40, Robina, 35 and Uzma, 22, were injured as roof of their house collapsed at Kot Noor Muhammad. In another incident two brothers Saqib Ali and Muhammad Usman were injured in a roof collapse at Chak No. 431/EB. The rain also devastated crops in the many areas and a number of cattle were injured in different rain-related incidents.
Our correspondent from Shergarh reported that Sajid Ali, 13, was killed while his mother Sakeena Bibi and his brother Nazim Ali were injured as roof of the room they were sleeping in caved in due to torrential rain in a nearby village Chak Walayat Ali Shah the other day. Being in critical condition, the two injured were referred to a Lahore hospital.
Our Multan correspondent reported that at least 10 persons have so far lost their lives while 15 others injured in rain-related mishaps as heavy downpour continued to play havoc in Multan and adjoining areas for the last two days.
Seven people, including Aziz Ahmad, Mahfooz, Salman, Uzma and three unidentified persons, got electrocuted while Hamida Bibi, 60, Manzooran Bibi, 70, and an unidentified old man got crushed under debris in three separate incidents.
Similarly, at least eight incidents of wall or roof collapse took place in different areas of Multan and 15 persons were injured.
The city has so far received over 120mm rain, as a result of which puddles, lakes and ponds of rainwater have surfaced across the city. The Water and Sanitation Authority (WASA) completely failed in disposal of rainwater.
On the other hand, at least 20 feeders tripped simultaneously because of torrential rain and power supply to a vast area of Multan got suspended. A spokesman of Multan Electric Power Company said that some of the feeders were restored while work was underway on the remaining.
Meanwhile, the agriculture department has issued another warning to the cotton growers, asking them to ensure disposal of rainwater from the fields. “The excessive water will kill the plants so its immediate removal is imperative,” the advisory added. It also suggested to the growers to conduct pest scouting as the threat of pest attack on cotton crop intensified manifolds due to current rains.
Our correspondent from Noorpur Thal reported that the city received 66 millimetres of rain on Sunday, while the rain also lashed the surrounding rural areas causing great troubles to people and damaging their belongings and crops. The rain seriously damaged old and mud houses.
Our correspondent from Khanewal reported that two days of almost continuous rain has caused a huge mess in all four tehsils of Khanewal district – Kabirwala, Jahanian ,Mian Channu and Khanewal. Tall claims of the TMA and district government were exposed as sewage system in most areas was chocked and cities were presenting the look of swing pools.
Furious monsoon kills 50