Three dead, four injured as rains lash Karachi for second day

KARACHI: At least three children lost their lives while four others injured in rain-related accidents as heavy rains continued for the second day in Karachi today, wreaking more havoc on the city, flooding roads and causing a landslide.

According to Edhi rescuers and police, three children lost their lives in rain-related incidents in different areas of the city today.

A 13-year-old boy drowned in a pond created by accumulated rainwater in Musharraf Colony, according to an Edhi rescue team. The body was later retrieved and taken to Murshid Hospital for an autopsy.

Police sources said a 16-year-old boy died due to electric shock in the Haroonabad area. His body was shifted to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.

Meanwhile, a 10-year-old boy was killed and his mother injured after a wall of their home collapsed during the rain.

Police officials said the injured woman was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for treatment while the body of the child was also shifted to the hospital.

Rescue sources said two boys sustained severe head injuries after their bike skid off from the road in the Nazimabad area. The injured were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed hospital for treatment.

According to PMD, the highest amount of rainfall, 72 millimeters, was recorded at Gulshan-i-Hadeed while Nazimabad recorded 51.6mm, North Karachi 37mm, Surjani Town 25.6mm, Landhi 11.5mm, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Base Faisal 11mm, Jinnah Terminal 9.6mm while University Road received 8.8mm of rainfall.

Surjani Town and Orangi Town which had received heavy rainfall during the last spell were flooded once again as people started to evacuate from their homes while the Korangi causeway was also shut down due to flooding.

In the Gulistan-e-Jauhar area, there was land sliding due to the heavy rains. Edhi rescue officials said there was no loss of life although several cars were trapped.

At least 20 cars were crushed due to land sliding in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area. According to SSP East Sajid Mir, the land sliding occurred near Gulistan-e-Jauhar’s Munawar roundabout. He added that no loss of life was reported in the incident.

SSP Mir said that multiple bikes and cars parked there were damaged as a result of the landslide. He added that the houses nearby have been vacated as a precautionary measure.

The railway track connecting Karachi with the rest of the country has been washed away as trains came to a halt. The Awami Express was stopped at Karachi Cantt and Rehman Baba Express was stopped at Port Qasim while the inbound Farid Express stopped in Bhawalpur.

There was a power breakdown in several parts of the city. K-Electric spokesman said the electricity was being supplied to most parts of the city except those where there was an accumulation of rainwater which can threaten wires and installations.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has declared an emergency after heavy rains lashed several cities in Sindh province.

A spokesperson for the K-Electric (KE) said electricity supply to different areas of the metropolis had been temporarily suspended for safety reasons.

“The power supply in some areas was immediately suspended after light rain last night and it has also been suspended in some areas where the water level is high for safety reasons,” the spokesperson informed.

“Water has entered the electricity installations in Gulshan, Gulistan-i-Jauhar and Bin Qasim whereas water has also entered homes in low-lying areas of the metropolis and restoring the supply of electricity in flooded areas can be dangerous.

The PMD has predicted that the current spell of rain will continue until Wednesday warning that there was a danger of urban flooding yet again.

“Rain, wind thundershowers, with isolated heavy to very heavy falls, are expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Shaheed Benazirabad, Dadu, Tharparker, Nagarparker, Mirpurkhas, Islam Kot, Umar Kot, Sanghar, Sukkur and Larkana from Monday to Wednesday,” PMD said.