By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: At least 17 people were killed and more than a dozen injured on Wednesday night when heavy rain, thunderstorms and winds gusting as high as 97 kilometers per hour slammed into Karachi, toppling walls and roofs, striking victims with lightning and leaving trees strewn across streets in Pakistan’s largest city.
The deadliest single incident occurred in Baldia Town, where a building collapsed near Mawach Goth. Rescue 1122 officials said at least 13 people died there, with seven bodies recovered and taken to Civil Hospital and additional victims possibly still trapped. Rescue teams remained on site late into the night.
In Landhi’s Majeed Colony, near Baraq Pump, a wall collapse killed a husband and wife identified as 50-year-old Sher Wali and his wife Riazat Bibi, according to the Chhipa Foundation. Two people died in a separate roof collapse in the same area, Edhi officials reported. Three others were injured in the Landhi incidents.
Lightning claimed one life near Yaru Goth in the Malir River area; the victim was identified as 35-year-old Hazrat Umar. In Korangi’s Sector 3½, a woman named Shita, 45, died when the roof of her house caved in. Another man was killed in Korangi No. 5 when a tree fell on him. Rescue authorities said at least seven people were hurt in scattered rain-related incidents across the city, with Chhipa Foundation reporting two more injuries from a compound-roof collapse in Bhains Colony. Overall, officials said more than a dozen people sustained injuries.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department reported that the storm brought the heaviest rain to Korangi, which recorded 55.6 millimeters. Other readings as of 11 p.m. included Mauripur at 22 mm, DHA Phase-II at 15 mm, Gulistan-e-Jauhar at 13 mm, Kemari at 12 mm, and several areas — including the Airport Old Area, Shahrah-e-Faisal and Saddar Town — at 9 mm each. Jinnah Terminal measured 8 mm.
Winds reached 97 km/h in Mauripur and 90 km/h along Shahrah-e-Faisal, the weather office said. Showers and gusts lashed neighborhoods from Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and North Nazimabad to Saddar, Clifton, Defence, Malir, SITE and beyond. The downpour began on the outskirts and quickly spread through the old city, North Karachi, Surjani Town, Federal B Area, Manghopir and the airport area.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab posted on X that the city was experiencing “significant rainfall accompanied by strong winds” and urged residents to “avoid unnecessary movement until the situation settles.” In a later update, he noted that several trees had fallen because of the gusts and asked people to stay off Club Road in front of the Karachi Gymkhana.
The storm disrupted Eid shopping, stranding shoppers — including women and children — in markets and on streets. Roofs were torn off suburban homes, solar panels and signboards toppled, windows shattered and power lines were damaged, prompting warnings from K-Electric. The utility’s spokesman said field crews were on high alert, advising residents not to touch exposed wires, use water pumps in flooded areas or rely on illegal connections.
Earlier in the day, the Meteorological Department had forecast rain, thunderstorms and strong winds — with isolated hail possible — across Karachi and much of Sindh on Wednesday and Thursday as a westerly weather system moved in. The agency warned of lightning risks and urged farmers to adjust crop plans accordingly. Similar conditions were expected in districts including Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Larkana and Sukkur.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah placed all municipal bodies, the Water and Sewerage Board and district administrations on high alert. He ordered pumping stations and generators kept running, garbage cleared from drains and underpass pumps operational. He directed the health department to ready emergency staff and medicines at government hospitals and warned of strict action against any official negligence. Relief teams were told to help people stranded in low-lying areas.
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