68 killed as torrential rain batters Pakistan's Sindh and Balochistan provinces

According to a police official in Karachi, four men were electrocuted, while one died due to wall collapse. Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove attributed the high casualties in the province to the construction of houses on natural waterways in Quetta.

Karachi: At least 68 people have died in Pakistan's Karachi city in Sindh province and neighbouring Balochistan province as torrential rains and flash floods battered the area, officials said on Monday. As many as 63 deaths were reported in Quetta, Barkhan, Pishin, Kohlu, Bolan, Lorelai and Zhob areas in Balochistan province, while five people died in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, as relentless rainfall battered the city submerging several areas and leaving many without power on the second day of Eidul Azha.

According to a police official in Karachi, four men were electrocuted, while one died due to wall collapse. Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove attributed the high casualties in the province to the construction of houses on natural waterways in Quetta. Most of the victims belong to these areas, he said, confirming that rescue workers have retrieved seven bodies from Lorelai near Quetta.

An official in the Balochistan Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said besides the casualties, the flood and rain-related incidents have also left over 50 people injured in the province. Flash floods unleashed by torrential rains also swept away check dams and bridges in different parts of the province. There is also fear of breaching the Kadani dam near the Afghan border.

Meanwhile, the Met department predicted heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to continue in Karachi and other parts of Sindh, including Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Umerkot and Mirpurkhas till July 18-19. Every year, cities across Pakistan struggle with the annual monsoon deluge, drawing criticism about poor government planning. (PTI)