Islamabad, July 17: At least 60 more people have died and hundreds injured as torrential monsoon rains continued to unleash widespread destruction across Pakistan, bringing the nationwide death toll to over 124.
According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), till Wednesday, torrential monsoon rains and associated incidents have left at least 124 people dead and 264 others injured throughout Pakistan over the past three weeks.
In Punjab province, 44 people lost their lives in rain-related incidents on Wednesday due to collapsed roofs and electrocution while 16 fatalities were reported in Balochistan from similar rain-induced disasters.
The devastation is expected to persist amid authorities warning that the relentless monsoon system is likely to continue until late Thursday, local media reported. The highest number of casualties in the Punjab province were recorded in Lahore, Okara, Faisalabad, and surrounding districts, where structural collapses and electrocution were cited as the leading causes, Pakistan’s ‘The Express Tribune’ reported.
In Lahore, heavy downpours claimed 16 lives and injured six others as three rooftops collapsed across the city. Similarly, in Faisalabad, in 23 separate roof collapse incidents, at least seven people were killed and 36 injured while a 45-year-old woman and her 14-year-old son were trapped beneath the debris after the rooftop caved in.
Additionally, in Okara, at least seven people, including five children, lost their lives in incidents involving collapsing structures, electrocution, and a case of drowning. According to the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), torrential rains were recorded in several districts, including 217mm in Sheikhupura, 170mm in Okara, 130mm in Chichawatni, 90mm in Hafizabad, and 85mm in Kasur.
Other cities, including Faisalabad (60mm), Mandi Bahauddin (32mm), and Jhelum (29mm), also reportedly experienced substantial rainfall. Further downpours are predicted in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Multan, D G Khan, and Bahawalpur divisions, as the ongoing monsoon cycle spell is likely to continue until late Thursday.
Punjab’s major cities remain under threat of urban flooding as authorities expect moderate-to-high water flow in the Jhelum and Chenab rivers at key locations, including Mangla, Marala, Khanki, and Qadirabad.
Meanwhile, a low-level flood is anticipated at Tarbela (Indus River) and Marala (Chenab River), with heavy upstream rains to worsen the situation in upper catchments over the next 24 to 36 hours. The provincial administration has placed the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners across the province on high alert.
Relief Commissioner Nabil Javed has instructed administrative officers to maintain a field presence and activate emergency disaster response teams, with fuel reserves and evacuation protocols. Residents in riverbeds have been advised to relocate their livestock, while flood relief camps have been prepared with essential supplies, the NDMA stated.
IANS