Lightning strikes kill four in Balochistan

Heavy rain pummels the province; PMD says more rain on the way

QUETTA:

At least four people were killed in rain-related incidents in Balochistan’s Sorab, Pishin and Killa Saifullah districts, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Friday.

Around two dozen districts of Balochistan received heavy rainfall, whereas Quetta, Pishin, Mastung and some other parts of the province were expected to receive more heavy rainfall in the next 48 hours.

The fatalities occurred because of lightning strikes. The deceased included two young men struck in the Sorab district. The bodies were taken to the district headquarters hospital, the Levies said.

Another person died when lightning struck a house in a residential area of Pishin. Yet another person, later identified by the Levies as Zahir Shah, died in a similar incident in Killa Saifullah district.

Torrential rain across Balochistan damaged dozens of mud houses in various parts of the province. With the forecast of more heavy rain, the PDMA issued a high alert across the province.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted the arrival of consecutive western disturbances or westerly waves into the country. The first wave entered on April 10, followed by a second one on April 12, persisting until April 15.

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Because of the westerly wave, the PMD said, rainfall was expected in Zhob, Sherani, Barkhan, Musakhel, Kohlu, Sibbi, Jhal Magsi, Loralai, Ziarat, Quetta, Chaman, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, killa Saifullah, Kalat, Lasbella, Khuzdar, Chagi, Panjgur, Gawadar and Kech.

The Early Warning Centre of the PMD indicated the possibility of thunderstorms accompanied by rain in Karachi on Saturday (today) and Sunday (tomorrow). Additionally, gusty winds and duststorms might also sweep through the city.

The PMD also forecast the possibility of heavy winds and rain in other parts of Sindh, including Sukkur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Larkana, Dadu, Qambar Shahdadkot, and Sanghar districts.

Similarly, the PMD forecasted rain and thunderstorms in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Kohistan, Shangla, Buner, Malakand, and other areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a windy situation, rain, and snowfall over high mountains are expected. Meanwhile, Murree, Islamabad, Attock, and Chakwal were also likely to receive moderate rain on April 10th, 12th, and 15th, it added.

(WITH INPUT FROM OUR KARACHI CORRESPONDENT)