10 dead, seven injured as heavy rains batter parts of country

• Downpour, floods damage infrastructure across Pakistan.
• Balochistan remains worst-hit with five reported deaths.
• PMD forecasts more countrywide rains until Sept 5.

Pakistan’s Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs) on Tuesday reported multiple casualties and injuries across the provinces following recent monsoon downpours that brought life to a standstill and caused both residential and infrastructural damage in urban and rural areas.

At least 10 people have succumbed to rain and flood-related incidents, while seven others sustained injuries in different parts of the country over the past few days.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), four people died and one was injured during the past 24 hours. Three of the deaths were caused by a landslide triggered by downpours in Upper Kohistan. 

The fourth death was reported in Malakand, where, tragically, a child died due to a lightning strike.

Since July 1st, the northwestern province has reported 96 deaths and 133 injuries in numerous rain-related incidents.

Meanwhile, Sindh PDMA reported five deaths and two injuries in the past 24 hours in the province. 

The area wise break-up of casualties suggested that one female drowned to death in Umerkot, two died in Larkana — one died of electrocution while another died in a house collapse. Meanwhile, two people were injured.  

Moreover, Tando Allahyar also reported two deaths, one due to electrical shock, the other died in a wall collapse incident.

According to its respective PDMA, Balochistan has been the hardest hit during the monsoon, with five deaths reported on Monday due to the ongoing rains.

The disaster watchdog reported that rains had caused significant damage in the province since July 1st, while 34 people have lost their lives and 17 have been injured.

With more than 15,000 houses severely damaged, Balochistan — the largest but least populated province in the country — has been the worst hit so far.

Fortunately, Punjab has not suffered any rain-related casualties in the last 24 hours.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned that humid winds from the Bay of Bengal are expected to sweep across the upper regions of Pakistan, bringing more torrential storms until September 5. 

According to the Met Office, the new system may also bring rain to some parts of Sindh, including Hyderabad, Thatta, Tharpakar, Mithi, and Badin, by tomorrow (Tuesday) while Karachi is likely to get light and heavy rain on September 4.