Daily Times

KARACHI: The death toll from continued torrential rains rises to 30 as most of the victims were electrocuted in the metropolis till Friday evening. From 22 August to first of September at least 55 people have been killed in rain-related incidents.

Negligence of Sindh government officials and local bodies administration has put the people of mega city in the total chaos as more showers was expected on Saturday.

Meanwhile the Pakistan Army has cleared 8 affected areas of the city while in other 8 areas rescue and relief work was in progress.

According to the ISPR statement “Pakistan army and Pakistan Rangers Sindh teams with dewatering equipment are busy round the clock to assist civil administration in clearing of areas affected by rain. Progress made so far in Liaqatabad no 10, Gharibabad underpass, Kabaili town block 5, Petrol pump chorangi, Nauras Chorangi, Old Golimar Chorangi, Nagin Chowrangi, Power House Chorangi”.

Aurangi Nullah, Gujjar nullah, Ayesha Manzil, Nazimabad underpass, Golimar Chorangi, North Karachi UC 13, Landikotal, Saadi Town, included in the areas which were regulated and where the work was under progress, ISPR stated.

16 more people were killed in various areas of city since Thursday evening including 6 minors and a girl.

In Saeed Ullah Goth near RRF Head Quarters, in the limits of PS Saeedabad 15 years old Rashid was drowned in a manhole and died.

Two persons, Dlipkumar and Arsalan, died due to suffocation leakage of gas inside Mehran clinic at Pankha Hotel in the area of Shershah.

In the area of Maripur near Bilal Masjid in the remits of PS Maripur, Kusar, 28, was electrocuted.

Two died when the roof or wall of some old buildings collapsed and an equal number of people drowned in different parts of the city.

The deceased were identified as one-year-old Farman from North Karachi; two-year-old Sania from Afridi Colony of Manghopir; Salahuddin, 45, from Shershah; Irfan, 28, from Machhar Colony; Michael Salim, 23, from Punjab Colony; Saeedullah, 21, Gulshan-i-Maymar; Aslam, 10, from Gulistan-i-Jauhar; Ahmer, 11, from Gabol Town, Sajid, 24, from Chishti Nagar; Sohail, 25, from Nazimabad, Mariam, 20, from Saeedabad, Mohsin Ikram, 10, from Neelum Colony in Clifton; Yasin Majeed, 22, from PIB Colony, Aftab Alam, 75, from Madinah Colony, Mohammed Jan, 6, from Kalakot, Rajab Ali, 25, from Sachal; Saeedullah, 22, from Gulshan-i-Bihar; Mohammad Naseer, 22, from Orangi Town; Dilawar, 40, from Fareed Colony; Nasir Khan, 25, from Metroville-SITE, Shazeb, 23, from Korangi; and two unidentified youngsters from People’s Chowrangi and Khuda Ki Basti, Surjani.

The number of deaths might be higher as relatives mostly tended to take away the bodies without allowing doctors to fulfill legal formalities, rescue sources said.

Bodies were continuously brought into emergency departments of three major hospitals of city including Jinnah, Civil and Abbasi Shaheed Hospitals.

As all roads leading to the Civil Hospital were flooded, people failed to shift several victims to the emergency department in time. Similarly, executive director at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre Dr Seemin Jamali said that heavy rain had inundated a special ward of the hospital but the administration managed to clear the rainwater.

In the city, humans were not only the victims of recent rains as around a dozen of sacrificial animals have also killed been killed so far.

Published in Daily Times, September 2^nd 2017.