Karachi: Unprecedented heavy monsoon rains lashed Karachi on Tuesday, claiming at least 10 lives, flooding neighbourhoods, and leaving people frustrated and helpless with the Pakistan Meteorological Department warning of more showers to come.
The rains severely strained Karachi’s fragile infrastructure, causing stormwater drains and sewers to burst, and bringing life in the bustling “City of Lights” to a grinding halt. Even upscale neighborhoods like Defence Housing Authority and Clifton were severely affected, with rainwater flooding homes and adding to the misery of residents.
Shortly after the heavy rains hit the city, power outages swept across the city, plunging several areas into darkness and compounding the challenges faced by residents. The domestic and international flight operations at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi were also affected badly, with the Pakistan Aviation Authority (PAA) confirming that several flights were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to alternative airport due to inclement weather.
Rescue officials said three people, including two women, drowned in a stormwater drain near Guru Mandir. Two women were rescued, while the search for the third person was still underway.
Four people were killed and two were injured when a house wall collapsed in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 12, and a child died in a similar incident in Orangi.
A motorcyclist was electrocuted on a footpath near Nursery on Shahrah-e-Faisal, while another young man riding a motorbike in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) lost his life after receiving an electric shock from rainwater, rescue officials said.
Others died in separate rain-related incidents, raising the overall death toll in Karachi to 10.
