Dust storm batters lower Sindh
At least four persons killed, scores injured as city hit by gusty winds and dust storm
The city almost came to a standstill as the strong gusts uprooted trees and electricity poles, besides damaging schools and other facilities. PHOTO: PPI
KARACHI:
At least four people, including two minor girls, died and scores of others were injured as strong winds, accompanied by dust and sand, bludgeoned Karachi and its surrounding areas starting late Sunday night and going well into the next day.
With the maximum wind speed recorded at over 70 kilometres per hour, the city almost came to a standstill as the strong gusts uprooted trees and electricity poles, besides causing damage to schools and other facilities. The worst affected were the coastal areas of the city, where the Karachi Port Trust also reported that two vessels docked at the South Wharf almost started drifting away, while three other boats are reportedly missing.
According to the Meteorological department, the system of strong winds and rains would head towards the northern part of the country on Tuesday [today]. The unusual weather system entered the country from Iran on Saturday and affected a few districts of Balochistan, while also covering cities of Sindh.
Between the night of Sunday and Monday, the strong winds, which battered the city for several hours, seriously affected visibility, bringing it down from six kilometers to just half-a-kilometer.
The damage
The weather had reportedly turned pleasant after the hours-long spell through the night, however, the wind speed picked up again on Monday, uprooting trees, poles and roofs made of tin and causing widespread damage. The poor visibility caused several traffic accidents, leaving several people injured.
In Ghulam Muhammad Goth area of Bhains Colony, a man was seriously injured after the wall of his house collapsed, according to the Chhipa rescue services spokesperson. He added that the victim, 18-year old Kashif, succumbed to his injuries during treatment at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.
In a separate incident, a five-year-old girl was killed in Khamosh Colony after wall of her house collapsed. The body was shifted to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital for medico-legal formalities, where the girl was identified as Tanzila, daughter of Muhammad Ibrahim.
Another man was killed within the limits of Jamshed Quarters Police Station after a tree fell on him. According to Jamshed Police SHO Shamshad Hussain, the deceased was a traveler and was reported dead when the tree was cleared by residents and rescue workers.
A van caught fire near Abdullah College in North Nazimabad, as a result of which seven members of a family sustained burn injuries. Chhipa volunteers, quoting eyewitnesses, said that that a live wire suddenly fell on the van while it was passing under an electric pole. The wire caught fire, which soon engulfed the entire van.
The injured were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed hospital. Later, they were shifted to the burns ward at the Civil hospital. According to police sources, at least two of the victims sustained serious burn injuries in the incident.
Meanwhile, at least 10 students were injured when the roof of a private school in Korangi Industrial Area collapsed. According to SHO Aurangzeb Khattak, nine of the injured were discharged from the hospital after being administered first aid, while one student remained under treatment. The incident, he said, occurred when the roofs of the second and third floors of the school building started cracking due to torrential winds.
In another incident, five girls were injured when the roof of the Avicenna School collapsed. The school is located on Tipu Sultan Road within the limits of Charbahar Police Station. According to SHO Jamshed, the girls are aged between seven and 13 years and were injured when the cement roof and false ceiling of their classroom collapsed due to the strong winds.
In a similar incident within the limits of Kalakot Police Station, six girls aged between six and nine years were injured in a madrassah when their classroom’s roof collapsed. In Jascon Police Station limits, two young children, a boy and a girl, were injured when the roof of their home near Kemari Kamela Chowk collapsed. The injured were shifted to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, where they were identified as three-year old Yousuf and seven-year old Husna.
The roof of a house also collapsed in Taiser Town, but no casualties were reported. In Korangi’s Zaman Town area, a man was injured after the walls of his house collapsed. He was shifted to JPMC. In Korangi no. 2.5, another wall collapse incident injured two people who were also taken to the JPMC.
Meanwhile, a car reportedly overturned on the Expressway within the limits of Baloch Colony Police Station. The female driver, who lost control of the vehicle due to the gusty winds, remained safe.
Several electricity poles also fell near Qayyumabad and Clifton Do Talwar due to which traffic flow was disrupted. Several cars parked in the Sindh High Court premises were damaged as trees fell on them while a rickshaw was completely destroyed after a tree fell on it in Gulistan- e-Jauhar. Another old tree in the Karachi Press Club’s premises was also uprooted. Several trees were also uprooted in various neighborhoods, including Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulshan-e-Hadeed and Korangi.
Routine disrupted
Aviation operations were partially affected due to the chaotic winds. According to chief meteorologist Abdul Rasheed, though rains are uncommon during the month of April, the current system of strong winds was unprecedented. On Tuesday (today), Karachi and its surrounding areas are likely to witness rain accompanied by strong winds.
After a brief spell of rain, the system would head towards the north of country, said the chief meteorologist, adding that the Met department was updating authorities at the Jinnah International Airport on a regular basis while a warning of low visibility of only 500 meters had also given for both the airports and the sea. Fishermen should keep a radio system to remain updated with the weather conditions, he added.
Other parts of Sindh
The dust storm, drizzle and gusty winds gripped other areas of the lower Sindh region on Monday, disrupting the supply of electricity and affecting movement of traffic on the highways and cities. However, no weather-related casualties were reported from any of the areas.
Rain, dust-thunderstorm predicted in Karachi, other cities
The gusts began to blow in the wee hours as the weather brought down the temperature, with Hyderabad recording the highest of 31 degrees centigrade. The blustery winds uprooted trees and signboards at many places besides damaging the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company’s transmission system.
The storm also ripped up thatched huts in the rural areas in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tando Muhammad Khan, Badin, Jamshoro, Thatta, Tharparkar and other districts.
Widespread outages were reported during the storm. But the system was restored in the afternoon. The company’s spokesman, Sadiq Kubar, told The Express Tribune that power supply from three grid stations and 14 power feeders of 11KV was halted. According to him, four towers of 132 KV transmission line also fell, including three in Jamshoro district’s Thana Bula Khan area alone. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast that the weather pattern will continue on Tuesday in the upper Sindh region.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 16th, 2019.
At least four people, including two minor girls, died and scores of others were injured as strong winds, accompanied by dust and sand, bludgeoned Karachi and its surrounding areas starting late Sunday night and going well into the next day.
With the maximum wind speed recorded at over 70 kilometres per hour, the city almost came to a standstill as the strong gusts uprooted trees and electricity poles, besides causing damage to schools and other facilities. The worst affected were the coastal areas of the city, where the Karachi Port Trust also reported that two vessels docked at the South Wharf almost started drifting away, while three other boats are reportedly missing.
According to the Meteorological department, the system of strong winds and rains would head towards the northern part of the country on Tuesday [today]. The unusual weather system entered the country from Iran on Saturday and affected a few districts of Balochistan, while also covering cities of Sindh.
Between the night of Sunday and Monday, the strong winds, which battered the city for several hours, seriously affected visibility, bringing it down from six kilometers to just half-a-kilometer.
The damage
The weather had reportedly turned pleasant after the hours-long spell through the night, however, the wind speed picked up again on Monday, uprooting trees, poles and roofs made of tin and causing widespread damage. The poor visibility caused several traffic accidents, leaving several people injured.
In Ghulam Muhammad Goth area of Bhains Colony, a man was seriously injured after the wall of his house collapsed, according to the Chhipa rescue services spokesperson. He added that the victim, 18-year old Kashif, succumbed to his injuries during treatment at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.
In a separate incident, a five-year-old girl was killed in Khamosh Colony after wall of her house collapsed. The body was shifted to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital for medico-legal formalities, where the girl was identified as Tanzila, daughter of Muhammad Ibrahim.
Another man was killed within the limits of Jamshed Quarters Police Station after a tree fell on him. According to Jamshed Police SHO Shamshad Hussain, the deceased was a traveler and was reported dead when the tree was cleared by residents and rescue workers.
A van caught fire near Abdullah College in North Nazimabad, as a result of which seven members of a family sustained burn injuries. Chhipa volunteers, quoting eyewitnesses, said that that a live wire suddenly fell on the van while it was passing under an electric pole. The wire caught fire, which soon engulfed the entire van.
The injured were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed hospital. Later, they were shifted to the burns ward at the Civil hospital. According to police sources, at least two of the victims sustained serious burn injuries in the incident.
Meanwhile, at least 10 students were injured when the roof of a private school in Korangi Industrial Area collapsed. According to SHO Aurangzeb Khattak, nine of the injured were discharged from the hospital after being administered first aid, while one student remained under treatment. The incident, he said, occurred when the roofs of the second and third floors of the school building started cracking due to torrential winds.
In another incident, five girls were injured when the roof of the Avicenna School collapsed. The school is located on Tipu Sultan Road within the limits of Charbahar Police Station. According to SHO Jamshed, the girls are aged between seven and 13 years and were injured when the cement roof and false ceiling of their classroom collapsed due to the strong winds.
In a similar incident within the limits of Kalakot Police Station, six girls aged between six and nine years were injured in a madrassah when their classroom’s roof collapsed. In Jascon Police Station limits, two young children, a boy and a girl, were injured when the roof of their home near Kemari Kamela Chowk collapsed. The injured were shifted to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, where they were identified as three-year old Yousuf and seven-year old Husna.
The roof of a house also collapsed in Taiser Town, but no casualties were reported. In Korangi’s Zaman Town area, a man was injured after the walls of his house collapsed. He was shifted to JPMC. In Korangi no. 2.5, another wall collapse incident injured two people who were also taken to the JPMC.
Meanwhile, a car reportedly overturned on the Expressway within the limits of Baloch Colony Police Station. The female driver, who lost control of the vehicle due to the gusty winds, remained safe.
Several electricity poles also fell near Qayyumabad and Clifton Do Talwar due to which traffic flow was disrupted. Several cars parked in the Sindh High Court premises were damaged as trees fell on them while a rickshaw was completely destroyed after a tree fell on it in Gulistan- e-Jauhar. Another old tree in the Karachi Press Club’s premises was also uprooted. Several trees were also uprooted in various neighborhoods, including Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulshan-e-Hadeed and Korangi.
Routine disrupted
Aviation operations were partially affected due to the chaotic winds. According to chief meteorologist Abdul Rasheed, though rains are uncommon during the month of April, the current system of strong winds was unprecedented. On Tuesday (today), Karachi and its surrounding areas are likely to witness rain accompanied by strong winds.
After a brief spell of rain, the system would head towards the north of country, said the chief meteorologist, adding that the Met department was updating authorities at the Jinnah International Airport on a regular basis while a warning of low visibility of only 500 meters had also given for both the airports and the sea. Fishermen should keep a radio system to remain updated with the weather conditions, he added.
Other parts of Sindh
The dust storm, drizzle and gusty winds gripped other areas of the lower Sindh region on Monday, disrupting the supply of electricity and affecting movement of traffic on the highways and cities. However, no weather-related casualties were reported from any of the areas.
Rain, dust-thunderstorm predicted in Karachi, other cities
The gusts began to blow in the wee hours as the weather brought down the temperature, with Hyderabad recording the highest of 31 degrees centigrade. The blustery winds uprooted trees and signboards at many places besides damaging the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company’s transmission system.
The storm also ripped up thatched huts in the rural areas in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tando Muhammad Khan, Badin, Jamshoro, Thatta, Tharparkar and other districts.
Widespread outages were reported during the storm. But the system was restored in the afternoon. The company’s spokesman, Sadiq Kubar, told The Express Tribune that power supply from three grid stations and 14 power feeders of 11KV was halted. According to him, four towers of 132 KV transmission line also fell, including three in Jamshoro district’s Thana Bula Khan area alone. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast that the weather pattern will continue on Tuesday in the upper Sindh region.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 16th, 2019.