Heavy rains claim two lives in Rawalpindi

Throw daily life into disarray, submerge low-lying areas

RAWALPINDI:

At least two people lost their lives in Rawalpindi on Thursday due to heavy rains that intermittently lashed the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Among the casualties was a 22-year-old woman, Hamra, who was swept away by floodwaters while riding her scooter in a private housing society in the Lohi Bheer police station area.

Hamra was on her way to her office when the incident occurred.

Additionally, two employees of the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) were caught in floodwaters while cleaning a storm drain in the Jaggri Murree area.

One of the employees was rescued alive, while the other tragically died.

Rescue 1122 launched an extensive search operation for Hamra, which lasted for nearly nine hours. Her body was eventually recovered from the Swan River, approximately 10 kilometres from where she has swept away.

CCTV footage of the incident surfaced, showing Hamra attempting to cross the road with the assistance of a young man but losing her balance and being carried away by the strong current.

According to reports, heavy rainfall in parts of the twin cities on Thursday morning caused significant flooding, turning streets into lakes.

Police and Rescue 1122 officials reported that Hamra, a married woman aged between 22 and 24, was commuting from her parent's house in Ghori Town to her office in a private housing society. She lost control of her scooter and fell into the floodwaters.

Bystanders quickly informed the police and Rescue 1122, who arrived at the scene and began searching for her in the storm drain and the Swan River.

In a related incident, two RWMC employees drowned while cleaning a rainwater drain in the Lower Mall area of Murree. Rescue 1122’s water rescue teams were able to retrieve both bodies and transport them to the civil hospital. Unfortunately, 48-year-old Sultan Imran succumbed to drowning, while 33-year-old Sajjad Ahmed was rescued alive and is currently receiving medical treatment.

Another incident in Murree’s Mochi Mandi saw a landslide occur near a road, resulting in a mound of soil falling onto a parked car. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported in this incident.

Usman Gujjar, spokesperson for Rescue 1122 Rawalpindi, confirmed that a search operation was launched in the Swan River and a private housing society’s rainwater drain to locate Hamra after she fell into the water from her scooter.

After an exhaustive search lasting nearly nine hours, Rescue 1122 divers found her body about 10 kilometers from the incident site in the Swan River and transported it to the hospital.

Dark clouds continue to loom over Rawalpindi and its surrounding areas. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecasted that the rain spell will persist with intervals until August, posing further risks of flooding and related incidents in the region.