At least Ten people died in separate incidents in Karachi on Friday as the fourth spell of monsoon rains continued to lash parts of Sindh for the second straight day.
Seven of the deceased lost their lives due to electrocution, while two minor boys died from drowning while swimming in accumulated rainwater, according to officials and rescue services.
The Met Office recorded a maximum 68.5mm of rain at PAF Masroor Base, Gulshan-i-Hadeed (60mm), Keamari (47.3mm), Saddar (50mm), Nazimabad (44.6mm), Landhi (37.5mm), PAF Faisal Base (47mm), Surjani (35mm), MOS - Old Area Airport (40.8mm), University Road/Jauhar (35.5mm), Jinnah Terminal (28.8mm), North Karachi (23.9mm) and Sadi Town (25.2mm).
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, rain was also recorded in varying amounts in the Hyderabad, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana and Mirpurkhas divisions, with Shaheed Benazirabad receiving a maximum 50.5mm of rain.
In Karachi, a 24-year-old woman was electrocuted in Baloch Colony area. Area Station House Officer Ihsan Channa said Farzana Hanif died when she suffered an electric shock inside her home In Junejo Town. The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) to fulfil legal formalities.
In another incident, an 18-year-old, Kaiser Nawaz, died due to electrocution at a shop in Landhi-4, an Edhi Foundation spokesperson said.
A 30-year-old man also died after suffering an electric shock on a street near Jangian Hotel in Chakiwara area of Lyari, according to a Chippa spokesperson. The body was shifted to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK).
An eight-year-old boy died when after suffering an electric shock from an electricity pole near City Courts, an Edhi Foundation spokesperson said. The body was shifted to the Civil Hospital.
A 20-year-old, Jawad Zubair, received current in rain-accumulated water near the Burns Centre of CHK and died.
In Model Colony, Mohammed Bilal, 27, died of an electric shock. His body was brought to the JPMC. Dr Seemin Jamali while quoting his friend said that Bilal was electrocuted when he touched a pole.
Another young man, identified as Mansoor, died of electrocution in 13-D of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, according to rescue services.
Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy drowned in a pond of accumulated rainwater in Sujrani Town. Police said some children were swimming in the pool in Sector 7-D when Talha Tanzeem, 12, drowned and died.
In a similar incident, a six-year-old boy was swept away while swimming in a drain in Banaras area of Orangi Town, according to Edhi Foundation and Pirabad Police.
West Senior Superintendent of Police Fida Husain Janwari said they had received information about the drowning of the boy in a stormwater drain.
The area's DSP and SHO along with divers of Edhi made efforts to rescue the child but the operation was called off at night due to darkness in the area. An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said it was believed that the boy had died, bringing the day's death toll to nine.
As intermittent rain continued in the city, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar along with other officials visited various areas in the South district and monitored the operation for de-watering of accumulated rainwater and clearing of choking points.
At least eight people have been killed in different rain-related incidents in Karachi since last night as heavy rain continues to pour the city, Geo News reported quoting rescue sources.
According to sources, seven people, including two children, were killed due to electrocution during heavy downpour in the city while a 12-year-old boy died after drowning in a naddi (canal) near Bhains Colony in Karachi's Surjani Town.
Karachi received continuous heavy rain on Thursday night and it continued through Friday, with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) saying the highest rainfall was recorded at PAF Masroor Base where 68.8 millimetres (mm) rain was registered today.
Meanwhile, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, North Karachi, Nazimabad, Saddar, Landhi, airport, University Road, PAF Faisal Base, Surjani, Keamri, Saadi Town received 60mm, 23.9mm, 44.6, 50mm, 37.5mm, 40.8mm, 35.5mm, 47.5mm, 35mm, 47.3mm and 25.2mm respectively.
Sources at the K-Electric, the metropolis' sole power-supplying company, said more than 400 feeders tripped in different areas as soon as the downpour hit Karachi, causing immediate power outage in multiple neighbourhoods.
Earlier in the day, the PMD had said the heavy downpour alongside thunderstorm was forecast to commence any time in Karachi, with the city expected to receive between 80-130mm of rainfall today.
According to the PMD, the low air pressure over Rajasthan — expected to cause the showers — has intensified. The department's director said the low air pressure was currently present in the port city, as well as parts of southern Balochistan.
Karachi may receive 80-130 mm of rainfall, with gusty winds that were likely to blow in the city before the rainstorm. Downpours are expected to continue till Saturday.
Commissioner orders to remove hoardings
Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Ali Shallwani has ordered all the deputy commissioners to remove hoardings after two motorcyclists were injured when a hoarding fell on them during a thunderstorm on Thursday.
The video of the incident went viral in which it can be seen that the hoarding falling on the motorists near Metropole Hotel.
More rain predicted in Balochistan
According to a PMD statement, monsoon low pressure now lies over Sindh and likely to move westwards over Balochistan during Friday evening/night.
“Under the influence of this weather system, strong monsoon currents are expected to penetrate in Balochistan from Friday (evening) to Sunday morning,” it said.
The PMD further said that more rain/wind-thundershower are expected in most parts of Balochistan from Friday to Sunday morning due to which heavy falls are expected in Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella, Awaran, Panjgur, Ketch and Gwadar areas.On Thursday, at least one person was reported dead due to electrocution while another was injured during rain in Karachi.
To prevent the roads from being inundated as seen during last week's heavy rains, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has been working to clean Karachi's major storm-water drains on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s directives.
On Friday, the ruling PTI's Islamabad chapter shared a video of the cleaning of nullahs being carried out for the fifth day under NDMA's supervision.
