Storms claim lives, batter Punjab, K-P

Torrential rains accompanied by storms and hail wreaked havoc across several regions of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as Islamabad on Wednesday, claiming at least three lives, injuring several others and damaging crops, homes and infrastructure.

The hailstorm, accompanied by strong winds, lashed several cities and districts, raising alarms over the mercurial and volatile weather pattern.

Three people lost their lives while eight sustained injuries in incidents of wall collapses caused by heavy rainfall and storms in Rawalpindi and Jhelum.

In Jhelum's tehsil Sohawa, torrential rain led to three separate wall collapse incidents. In the Shahidan locality, a dera wall collapsed on a loader vehicle, killing two individuals on the spot and injuring four others.

The injured were shifted to a hospital in Rawalpindi, where the condition of two remains critical.

In another incident in the Pindi Darwaza area, a woman sustained serious injuries after a wall gave way. A third collapse occurred in Sohala, a nearby locality, injuring a child and a young man.

In Rawalpindi's Ratta Amral police jurisdiction, the boundary wall of a mosque caved in, burying a 24-year-old youth named Musa under the debris. Musa, a resident of Hazara Colony, died on the spot. His body was shifted to a hospital.

A powerful storm swept through Islamabad, lasting about 35 minutes and unleashing heavy rain and large hailstones that shattered vehicle windscreens and stripped trees of branches and leaves. In Tarnol, several trees were uprooted, disrupting traffic and causing brief chaos on the roads.

Flood-like situation in K-P

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightning lashed various districts, causing streams and drains to overflow.

In Khyber's Landi Kotal and surrounding areas, powerful winds, hail, and intense rainfall brought a welcome drop in temperature. However, flash floods inundated several parts of the Pak-Afghan highway, disrupting traffic. In one incident, floodwater in Landi Kotal swept away a parked vehicle in the main bazaar. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.

Rainfall also hit Lower Dir, where the downpour broke the heatwave, making the weather pleasant. However, heavy rain caused flooding in streams, and the water level in the Panjkora River rose significantly. The power supply was disrupted as multiple feeders tripped.

In Takht Bhai, thick dark clouds turned daytime into dusk-like darkness as heavy rainfall continued across the region.