Pakistan to witness fresh spell of monsoon rains

Authorities advised to stay alert amid urban and flash flooding warnings

Pakistan is all set to experience a fresh spell of rain.

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted that the second spell of heavy monsoon rain will start from August 9 and last till August 12 in most parts of the country.

According to details, low-pressure conditions in the Bay of Bengal will most likely move towards the Indian region of Gujrat around August 9 and will affect Pakistan's weather.

Widespread heavy rain accompanied by wind and thunderstorms is expected to hit Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad from Friday evening and are predicted to last till Monday morning.

Scattered rain accompanied by wind and thunderstorms is also expected to hit certain areas in Balochistan including Zhob, Kalat, Sibi, Nasirabad and Makran. Sindh's Sukkur and Larkana division will also receive light to moderate rain.

The PMD also warned against urban flooding, especially in Karachi, Thatta and Hyderabad, while it predicted flash floods for Kalat, Sibi, Zhob and Nasirabad.

The weather system will also affect the northern areas of Pakistan, with rain predicted for Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad and Kashmir. Some areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will also receive rain starting Wednesday and it is predicted to last till Saturday.

Flash floods have also been predicted for Hazara, Malakand, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, DG Khan divisions and Kashmir, while urban flooding has been predicted for Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha and Faisalabad. The rain will also increase the chances of landslides in the Malakand, Hazara divisions, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.

Furthermore, all concerned authorities have been advised to remain alert and take precautionary measures in their areas.

In Rawalpindi, four people died as a house in the city's Morgah area collapsed early on Wednesday morning.

Officials said the house was constructed beside a stormwater drain and its six occupants were swept away by the rushing water after the house caved in.

Rescuers managed to save two of the six people - a woman and her child - and retrieved the bodies of the four victims - a woman, two children and a young man identified as 21-year-old Inayat Shah.