106 Killed in Rain-Triggered Incidents across Pakistan

At least 106 people have been killed and 52 injured since 15 June in separate incidents caused by torrential monsoon rains in Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a report on Friday.

South Sindh Province was the hardest affected where 34 people were killed and nine others wounded in rain-related accidents, the authority said, adding that 24 homes were also destroyed in heavy rainfall, reports Xinhua.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah told a press conference on Friday that 80 people were killed in the province with 47 fatalities in the provincial capital of Karachi alone.

He said that 604 mm of rain had been reported in Karachi in August, breaking a long streak of heavy rains in the city during the month.

A total of 29 people were killed and the same number of others wounded, with 196 houses being demolished in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the NDMA said, adding that two bridges and three mosques were also washed away by the waters gushing across residential areas, roads and open fields.

The rains created a catastrophic situation in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where hundreds were left homeless after their homes were washed away by flash floods induced by lashing rains. The NDMA said 15 people were killed, seven others hurt and 907 houses destroyed by storm.

In the eastern province of Punjab, the northern area of Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, 12, 10 and six people were killed in rain-related incidents, respectively. Approximately seven persons have also been wounded in the regions, the authority stated.

NDMA issued 10,985 tents, 409.6 tons of food products, 2,956 shelters, 2,200 mosquito nets, 2,350 plastic sheets, 2,000 tarpaulins and 222 dewatering pumps in the affected areas.

The Authority said that localized thunderstorms and rain with localized heavy falls was forecast in sections of the country on Saturday.

Monsoon winds are the primary cause of downpour in the country during the months of July-September. Rain also triggers devastation in the world almost every year, flooding low-lying areas and washing houses on the banks of the river.

This year, the weather department has predicted higher than average rainfall during the current season, and the departments concerned have given alerts to the general public to take self-precautionary steps throughout the season.