By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Torrential monsoon rains lashed Punjab on Thursday, claiming at least seven lives and injuring dozens as roof collapses, drownings, lightning strikes, and electrocutions wreaked havoc across the province.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Rescue 1122 reported a grim tally of incidents, with the majority tied to roof collapses triggered by relentless rainfall.
Monsoon season, a critical period from June to September that brings relief from oppressive heat and sustains agriculture for millions, has taken a deadly turn this year. The early rains have exposed the vulnerability of Pakistan’s infrastructure, particularly in Punjab, its most populous province.
The PDMA initially reported four deaths and 19 injuries on Thursday, but the toll rose as more incidents surfaced. “Two citizens were killed by the collapse of dilapidated and decaying buildings in Okara and Bahawalnagar,” a PDMA handout read. “Two citizens drowned in Jhelum … 13 dilapidated and mud houses were affected by monsoon rains.” A photograph from Rescue 1122 captured the aftermath in Okara: a house reduced to rubble after its roof caved in under the weight of the rain.
Data from the authorities broke down the fatalities: one child in Okara, one person in Bahawalnagar, and two men in Jhelum. Punjab rescue spokesperson Farooq Ahmed provided further details, identifying the Okara victim as a five-year-old girl. “[The girl] drowned in a storm drain in Basti Riazabad in Okara,” Ahmed said in a statement. “Another person drowned in a storm drain in Jhelum, while two people were injured in Sohawa. A search operation is underway.”
Rescue 1122 confirmed additional deaths: two people perished when a wall collapsed in Muzaffargarh, and one person died with another injured after a lightning strike in Khanewal. Ahmed noted a separate lightning strike in Okara that injured one person. “The public should avoid electric poles, hoarding boards and low-lying areas,” he warned, urging residents to call 1122 in emergencies.
Rescue 1122 provided emergency services to 46 people in the past 24 hours, transporting 39 of the injured to hospitals. “In Multan, three people were injured when a wall collapsed in Basti Rata,” a statement from the agency said, adding that three others were hurt in a roof collapse in Latifabad. In Faisalabad, another roof collapse injured one person, while two people each were injured in similar incidents in Shorkot and Sahiwal. In Mandi Bahauddin, two children suffered injuries from electrocution.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had sounded the alarm, forecasting widespread rainfall and thundershowers across multiple regions. “Moist currents from [the] Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are penetrating most parts of the country. A westerly wave is also affecting the upper parts,” the Met Office said. Thursday’s forecast predicted rain and thunderstorms in Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab, and Islamabad, with gusty winds possible in southeast Sindh and northeast/south Balochistan.
The previous 24 hours bore out the prediction. KP’s Malam Jabba recorded the highest rainfall at 70mm, followed by Saidu Sharif (34mm), Parachinar (23mm), Lower Dir (8mm), Mardan (6mm), Cherat (4mm), and Kakul (3mm). In Punjab, Kasur saw 63mm, Sheikhupura 50mm, Joharabad 48mm, Sargodha 45mm, and Okara 30mm. Islamabad logged 34mm at Bokra, 29mm at the airport, and 22mm at Zero Point. Azad Kashmir’s Muzaffarabad recorded 7mm at the airport and 5mm in the city, while Barkhan in Balochistan received 2mm.
Looking ahead, the PMD warned of worse to come. “On Friday, widespread rain and thundershowers with isolated heavy rainfall is expected in Azad Kashmir, KP, Islamabad, and upper and central Punjab. Rain thundershowers with gusty winds are likely in south Punjab, Sindh and northeast and south Balochistan,” it said.
Heavy rainfall could spark flash floods in streams across Murree, Galliyat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Nowshera, Swabi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Dera Ghazi Khan, and parts of northeast Punjab and Azad Kashmir. Urban flooding threatens cities like Lahore, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Nowshera, Charsadda, Peshawar, Karachi, and Hyderabad on June 27.
“Landslides may cause road closures in the vulnerable hilly areas of KP, Murree, Galliyat, Azad Kashmir during the wet spell,” the agency added, cautioning that heavy downpours, windstorms, and lightning could damage weak structures, electric poles, billboards, vehicles, and solar panels.
In Karachi, the PMD forecast partly cloudy, humid conditions with a chance of light rain or drizzle, temperatures between 35-37°C, and humidity at 70-80 percent with southwesterly winds. A westerly wave moving toward the upper country could bring dust storms and thundershowers to Tharparker, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Thatta, and Dadu.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia ordered top medical care for the injured. “As per the instructions of the Punjab Chief Minister, losses incurred by citizens will be compensated,” he said. “Assistance will also be ensured to the families of the deceased under the government policy.” With the monsoon’s first spell set to persist until July 1, Kathia urged citizens to take precautions.
The province is bracing for a tougher season after the PMD predicted 25 percent more monsoon rain this year, prompting intensified emergency measures. Monsoon rains have officially begun in Punjab, with rainfall, strong winds, and thunderstorms expected in most districts until the end of the month.
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