Windstorm kills 15 in twin cities, K-P

Several domestic flights at Islamabad airport cancelled or delayed

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: At least 15 people were killed and 125 injured Wednesday night when a powerful windstorm, accompanied by rain, swept through the twin cities and parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, felling trees, electricity pylons and hoardings, damaging houses and suspending power supply to several neighbourhoods.

The hardest hit were the twin cities where at least nine people were killed, while six died in different cities of K-P, according to police and medics. The casualties were mainly caused by falling trees, signboards and electricity poles and roof-collapse incidents. Damage to property has yet to be assessed.



Gusty winds blew at a speed of 148km/h and 120km/h in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, respectively. The storm lasted for 25 to 30 minutes at different places – a duration considered to be dangerous by weather experts.

Normally, such powerful storms fizzle out within 10 to 15 minutes in this region, said a source in the Met Office.

Several domestic flights at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport were either delayed or suspended.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2016.