The death toll from yesterday’s heavy rainfall in Karachi rose to eight on Wednesday as the city’s residents struggled with flooded roads and Sindh braced for more downpours in the coming days.
The rains severely strained Karachi’s fragile infrastructure, causing stormwater drains and sewers to burst, along with disrupting industrial operations across the economic hub. Several areas experienced hours-long power and internet services outage. Due to the severity of the situation, the provincial administration announced a public holiday in the city today.
According to separate statements issued by Karachi Rescue 1122, two more people died in rain-related incidents, in addition to yesterday’s six deaths.
Edhi Marine Service volunteers recovered the body of a 50-year-old man, identified as Abbas Mohsin, who went missing in a nullah near the Gurumandir area yesterday, Rescue 1122 said. His body was taken to Civil Hospital Karachi.
In Defence Housing Authority’s (DHA) Phase 5, Edhi Marine Service volunteers recovered the body of 19-year-old motorcycle rider Yasir, after being informed about an electrocution incident. The man’s body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College (JPMC).
On Tuesday, as many as six people died in rain-related incidents.
Four members of a family died and one was injured after the walls of a house in Gulistan-i-Jauhar’s Block-12 collapsed during the heavy rain. According to a JPMC statement, a boy aged between two to four years and a six to seven-year-old girl were among the deceased.
In another similar incident in Orangi Town, an eight-year-old child lost his life. An unidentified man, aged 20-24 years, died in a suspected electrocution case in DHA’s Phase 7.
Yesterday’s rains severely flooded Karachi’s major arteries, including Sharea Faisal, M.A. Jinnah Road, and I.I. Chundrigarh Road, with hundreds of cars and motorcycles submerged and commuters stuck in traffic jams for several hours. Many had to wade through waist-deep water in the business district as they tried to return home.
Shortly after the heavy rains hit the city, power outages swept across the city, plunging several areas into darkness. Even upscale neighbourhoods, such as DHA and Clifton, were severely affected, with rainwater flooding homes and adding to the residents’ misery.
The domestic and international flight operations at Jinnah International Airport were also affected, with the Pakistan Aviation Authority (PAA) confirming that several flights were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to an alternative airport due to inclement weather.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast torrential rains in Sindh, parts of Balochistan, and other regions of the country in the coming days, advising the provincial disaster management authorities to make necessary arrangements.
This is a developing story.