Two missing after three swept away by flash flood in Karachi

Missing men said to be father and son; several areas witness flooding, traffic gridlocks following rains

KARACHI:

Three people were swept away in Karachi's Gadap Town as heavy rains continued to batter the metropolis on Thursday. Two of them remained missing while the third was rescued, it was reported on Friday.

The accidents occurred around the Lath river in Gadap after water levels rose due to the rain.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir Irfan Bahadur said that the three people were were travelling on motorcycles. According to the SSP, one of the three missing individuals was rescued while the search for the other two continued. However, the rescue operation was hampered due to darkness.

The two missing persons were reported to be father and son.

The Malir river in the Memon Goth region also flooded, causing a flash flood on Link Road and subsequently leading to the police closing the Link Road that connected the National Highway with the Superhighway. With the closure of the road, traffic pressure increased, resulting in a gridlock.

Meanwhile, several vehicles got stuck on inundated roads near the Northern Bypass.

Read Karachi receives first spell of monsoon rains

Edhi officials said that as soon as the incident was reported their volunteers rushed to the spot and evacuated the citizens to a safe place after struggling with the conditions.

Rescue officials said several vehicles were also submerged in the water while the Superhighway road from Karachi to Hyderabad was closed for traffic due to the current situation.

Rain to continue till July 9

According to Express News, Gadap Town, Surjani Town, North Karachi, North Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Jinnah Old Terminal, Tariq Road, Defence View, FC Area, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Saddar, Guru Mandir, Shahrah-e-Faisal, Nazimabad and other areas received downpour for several hours.

The city plunged into darkness due to power outages in the different areas of the city. According to K-Electric (K-E), the power company's staff was resolving the faults reported by the people.

The city is likely to receive thundershowers till July 9.