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20 killed as heavy rains batter Pakistan's Karachi

World Materials 1 August 2019 00:56 (UTC +04:00)
Torrential monsoon rains have played havoc on Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, killing 20 people and injuring scores of others over the last three days
20 killed as heavy rains batter Pakistan's Karachi

Torrential monsoon rains have played havoc on Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, killing 20 people and injuring scores of others over the last three days, local media reported on Wednesday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The rains started lashing the capital city of the country's southern Sindh province on Monday, and the heavy downpour continued till Wednesday, paralyzing social and economic activities in various areas of the cities, local media reported.

Most of the fatalities happened due to electrocution, road accidents and roof collapse incidents. The city authorities have also declared some dilapidated buildings risky, asking residents to vacate them as they may collapse due to heavy downpour.

The rainwater inundated several low-lying areas and flooded houses, markets and roads, disrupting road, railway and air traffic. When the situation went out of the control of the city's management authority, the provincial government had to seek help from the military to take part in the rescue operation.

The troops recovered the stranded people from houses and roads by boats, and shifted them to safe places. The relevant authorities in the provincial government also remained busy clearing the roads and drainages blocked by flooding.

The motorway police also warned commuters to avoid traveling on the motorway unnecessarily as they may get hit by an intense wave of water passing through it. Many children got stranded in their schools and school vans due to harsh weather conditions on Monday, prompting the government to announce a holiday in educational institutions on Tuesday.

Several areas of the city faced acute shortage of water and electricity, and in some downtown areas, power remained suspended for over 40 hours. Officials with the Karachi Electric Supply Company said that water entered several grid stations resulting in blackouts.

The country's weather office said that the current spell of rain is expected to subside from the city on Wednesday, after which life will return to normalcy.

The country's Prime Minister Imran Khan took notice of the situation and directed federal minister for maritime affairs to coordinate with the Mayor of Karachi to provide rescue and relief facilities to the provincial government.

Monsoon winds are the major source of downpour in the country during the months of July-September. The country's meteorological department forecasted more than usual rains during the ongoing season, and issued an advisory for the general public to protect itself from the rain-related accidents.

According to latest figures released by the country's National Disaster Management Authority on Tuesday, a total of 83 people were killed and 74 others injured during separate rain-related accidents across the country from July 1 from July 25.

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