Islamabad, (Samajweekly) At least 106 people have died and 52 others injured in rain-related incidents across Pakistan, according to the country’s disaster management authority.
In a report on Friday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said Sindh province was the worst-hit where 24 houses were also damaged, reports Xinhua news agency.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah told the media on Friday that 80 people were killed in in the province with 47 fatalities recorded in capital Karachi alone.
He said 604-mm rainfall was recorded in Karachi during August, breaking years-long record.
A total of 29 people were killed, and a same number of others injured with 196 houses destroyed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the NDMA said, adding that two bridges and three mosques were also swept away by the waters gushing through the residential areas, roads and open fields.
The rains caused a disastrous situation in Balochistan province where scores were left homeless after their houses were swept away by flash floods triggered off by lashing rains.
The NDMA said that 15 people were killed, seven others injured and 907 houses damaged in the pouring rains.
In Punjab province, the Gilgit-Baltistan region and Pakistan occupied Kashmir, 12, 10 and six people were killed, respectively.
About seven people were also injured in the areas, the authority said.
The NDMA has provided 10,985 tents, 409.6 tonnes of food items, 2,956 blankets, 2,200 mosquito nets, 2,350 plastic mats, 2,000 tarpaulins and 222 dewatering pumps in the affected areas.
It said that scattered thunderstorms and rain with isolated heavy falls is expected in parts of the country on Saturday.
The monsoon winds are the major source of downpour in the country during the months of July-September.
The rains also cause destruction in the country almost every year, inundating low-lying areas and sweeping away the houses located near river banks.
This year, the meteorological department forecasted more than usual rains during the ongoing season, and the concerned departments issued advisories for the general public to take self-precautionary measures.
