Pakistan rains: Incessant downpour in Pakistan's Punjab province on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of nine people, including seven persons from Lahore, along with three persons in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
According to a report by Dawn, the PDMA said that three people were electrocuted to death in Lahore as the capital's electric supply infrastructure was submerged in the rain, while three others died when their roofs collapsed due to the downpour and strong winds.
Additionally, one person each drowned in Lahore and the district of Layyah. One person was struck by lightning in Lahore's Kasur area. Six people were critically injured due to the rain.
The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) claimed that the rain in Punjab broke a 30-year record, with 12 of its monitoring points recording more than 200 mm of rainfall in two spells.
Pakistan's Meterological Department has warned of deadlier spells of rainfall in the next three days. "One spell, which might be milder than one that befell on Wednesday morning, is expected to visit the city tonight or Thursday morning. However, next two days — Friday and Saturday — can be equally disastrous if not more," he said on Wednesday.
In wake of this situation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reportedly instructed the Punjab government to ensure that urgent measures are taken to mobilise rescue teams during these heavy rains.
According to Geo News, the rain spells heavily disrupted traffic movement on Wednesday aas key roads and streets were waterlogged, causing several vehicles to break down. Rainwater also seeped in the houses of low-lying areas as electrical supply was cut, causing a great deal of inconvenience for people.
Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that incessant rainfall has caused urban flooding in the province.
Meanwhile, incessant rainfall also claimed three lives in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, as per a PDMA report. Eight people were injured and seven houses were partially damaged.
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