Rain knocks power out of twin cities

The torrential rain and hail storm that struck the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi during the early hours of Sunday morning caused the temperature to drop by a significant level, making the weather pleasant.

The downside, however, was that many localities in the twin cities, particularly low-lying areas faced power outages of long duration.

The rain started around 2:30 am and continued till around 4 am.

The highest rainfall was recorded in the Saidpur area at 29 millimetres (mm). The heavy rain which was accompanied by gusty winds resulted in the uprooting of several electricity poles and the snapping of cables owing to which the power supply system was badly affected.

Several trees and signboards also fell in different areas owing to strong winds.

The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) officials told The Express Tribune that they had received complaints that almost 100 feeders had tripped or malfunctioned because of the torrential rain.

Bari Imam Shahdara Marvi Road Galdana Scheme, Hassan Abdal Hatiyan Hazro Munawarabad, Bani Dhok, New Gulistan Colony, F-11/1, Fazaia Housing Society Upper Port housing society, Sawan etc were some of the areas where power feeders tripped.

The IESCO repair teams started restoration work as soon as the rain stopped and electricity was gradually re-stored in many of the affected areas. The district administration and flood control room official are monitoring the situation.

Meanwhile, the hail storm and rain inflicted damage on the building of Islamabad International Airport (IIA) resulting in the collapse of the false ceiling and shattering glass.

The glass on the ceiling of the airport’s level-2 apron was shattered while cracks also appeared on the ceiling of the CSO office and briefing area. After heavy rains, the terminal building also started dripping from two three spots.

IIA officials said that the collapse of the ceiling did not injure any passengers or staff members while Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has started the repair work in the affected area. Three children killed in wall collapse Three children were killed and two others, including a minor girl, were injured as the wall of a house collapsed due to strong winds and heavy rain on the outskirts of the Tarnol area.

The incident occurred in a house located in Dhok Abbasi on Sarae Kharbooza Road in the precincts of Tarnol police station. Three children were killed in the mishap while a four-year-old girl and a man were injured.

The police officials said the deceased include Kashif Aijaz aged 10 years, Saqib Aijaz aged eight and Sohail Aijaz aged six years. The father, Muhammad Aijaz, and daughter Aisha sustained injuries. In another incident, Tarnol police found the body of an elderly man from Dhok Paracha.

The body was shifted to a hospital