At least 22 dead as torrential rains lash parts of country

Author: Agencies

Heavy rains continued to lash different parts of the country on Sunday, causing destruction of properties and casualties as at least 22 people were killed and scores of others were wounded during the last 24 hours in separate incidents across the country.

Several plain and hilly areas of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab received heavy downpours, which flooded streams and rivers, as well as caused landslides in mountainous regions.

In KP, at least nine people died in separate rain-related incidents, including four who drowned in a flood relay in Karak city today. The bodies of the victims were pulled out from the raging water during a search operation, rescue officials said.

As many people including women and children, sustained injuries in a roof collapse incident amid heavy rain in KP’s North Waziristan district.

Separately, another casualty was reported in Sindh by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Saturday.

Balochistan was the most affected province as heavy rains wreaked havoc, killing as many as 12 people in separate incident in a day, according to the Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

The torrential downpours also left at least 32 people injured as a result of lightning strikes and floods with the rain spell also damaging 263 houses, of which 91 were completely destroyed.

Rain water entered houses and shops in low-lying areas in different cities and creating flood like situation, specifically in Mirpur Khas and Dadu streams.

As a result of heavy flow of floodwater, cracks appeared on two newly constructed bridges on a flood protection dyke in Dadu’s Tehsil Johi.