Record-breaking rainfall of 427 millimeters lashed Chakwal and its surrounding areas in just 10 hours, triggering widespread flooding and prompting the district administration to declare a rain emergency.
The heavy downpour caused a breach in a local dam, leading to mass evacuations in nearby settlements. Rainwater flooded homes, leaving many residents stranded and forcing several families to spend the night in the open.
In the Khewal area, a man and his son lost their lives, while a pregnant woman and her child sustained serious injuries. With this incident, the nationwide death toll from monsoon-related events has climbed to 149.
In the Budhyal area, walls collapsed while the floodwater also washed away cattle.
Rain drains Bhanao, Kulhayan, Saroli, and others burst their banks, while two vehicles and three people were washed away, following a breach in a dyke in Panwal Dam; two were rescued, while the search for the third one was underway till the last reports came in.
According to the spokesman for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the rescue operation was underway to shift the stranded people to safe locations.
“Given an alarming situation, the district administration is in contact with the Pakistan Army,” he said, adding that the operation would continue till the last person was rescued.
He informed that the Rescue 1122, the district administration, and the Civil Defence were participating in the operation. “PDMA DG Irfan Ali Kathia is supervising the operation,” the spokesman said, and appealed to the people to stay in safe places.
On the other hand, heavy showers lashed the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) during the last 24 hours, disrupting routine life in these areas.
The downpour led to a significant rise in the water level in Rawalpindi’s Nullah Lai; it was recorded at 18 feet at both Katarian and Gawalmandi, prompting the administration to sound alarm bells, declaring a rain emergency in the city, and evacuating the people stranded in these areas.
Heavy machinery has been brought to the low-lying areas to drain out the rainwater. The twin cities received over 200 millimeters of rain.
