Nature unleashes fury; 15 more dead

LAHORE/PESHAWAR:

Lahore/PESHAWAR

In one of the most punishing spells of the ongoing monsoon fury, thunderstorms, flash floods and high-velocity winds left at least nine people dead and 62 injured in Punjab alone, while six more perished in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as toll continues to rise, officials confirmed on Monday.

As dark clouds tore open the skies and unleashed torrential downpours, entire neighbourhoods found themselves submerged, rooftops came crashing down like houses of cards, while lightning streaked across the heavens with deadly precision.

In the last 24 hours, the monsoon turned tragic, claiming at least nine lives in Punjab alone and injuring over 60, as chaos rippled from Rawalpindi to Rajanpur and beyond.

Meanwhile, the nationwide toll from monsoon-related incidents since late June has climbed to 111, according to government data, with children accounting for nearly half of the fatalities.

The brutal spell of rain battered several parts of the country with relentless force, crippling infrastructure, flooding low-lying areas and knocking out electricity grids.

In Lahore, a 20-year-old Faisal was killed when the roof of his home collapsed, leaving four others wounded. In Manga Mandi's Jagiyan area, another roof gave way, injuring two children – 12-year-old Rabia and eight-year-old Shehbaz.

Earlier in the day, calamity struck a nearby village when a roof gave way, trapping residents beneath the debris. Two children were miraculously rescued from the rubble and rushed to THQ Hospital.

In Mohra Sharif, close by, another roof made of T-iron collapsed under the weight of stagnant rainwater, leaving four to five more people injured.

In Rawalpindi, tragedy struck on the M2 Motorway near Chakri Interchange when a passenger bus skidded on a rain-slick road and overturned. Four people, including 50-year-old Samina, died on the spot, while 22 others were injured.

The wounded were rushed to DHQ Chakwal, DHQ Rawalpindi and PIMS Hospital. The other deceased have yet to be identified.

In Okara's Naeemabad, lightning claimed the lives of two teenagers - 16-year-old Anam and 17-year-old Asad - in a flash of nature's wrath. A third teen, Shanza, 17, was critically injured.

Okara also saw multiple injuries in Dipalpur and surrounding areas, where fragile rooftops and boundary walls collapsed in the downpour.

Elsewhere in Punjab, Bahawalnagar's Minchinabad Tehsil was gripped by grief when the roof of a madrassa gave way in Basti Rasheed Kot on Pakpattan Road.

Two children died instantly while 14 others were injured - 12 of them were taken to THQ Minchinabad. In Arifwala's villages 161-EB and 147-EB, homes came tumbling down, injuring two residents.

In Muzaffargarh's Basti Sithari, a collapsing wall left one injured, while a hotel roof caved in at Chowk Sarwar Shaheed near Kot Addu.

Meanwhile, in another incident of road accident, van skidded off the Indus Highway in Rajanpur, injuring another, and two more were hurt in Chak 137/9L in Sahiwal when a timber-framed roof fell.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmad confirmed that Punjab alone recorded at least nine fatalities and 62 injuries due to the intense rain and gusty winds since Monday morning.

Meanwhile, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported six deaths - one man, one woman, and four children - in districts including Khyber, Malakand, Kohat and Bajaur.

One child was injured. The PDMA said flash floods also caused partial damage to at least three homes. Relief efforts are ongoing.

In total, since the onset of the monsoon season in late June, at least 111 people, including 53 children, have lost their lives to electrocution, flash floods, building collapses, and lightning strikes, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

However, the skies show no sign of mercy just yet as according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, heavy to very heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning from July 14 through 17 across Punjab, K-P, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir are expected.

Warnings have also been issued for landslides in Murree, Galyat, Mansehra, Swat and northern mountain regions. Urban flooding remains a pressing threat in densely populated areas, where storm drains are already choked.

In compliance with orders from Chief Minister Punjab, PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said that all commissioners and deputy commissioners across the province have been placed on high alert. Municipal and emergency response departments have been instructed to execute their contingency plans.

Citizens have been urged to avoid unnecessary travel, steer clear of electric poles and stay away from vulnerable structures.

Tourists have been asked to defer trips to the hills. For any emergencies, people are advised to contact Rescue 1122 or the PDMA helpline at 1700.