101 killed, 180 injured in Pakistan’s monsoon season

Islamabad, July 21: At least 101 people have been killed and 180 others injured in Pakistan since the monsoon season started on June 25, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.

According to the NDMA, Punjab province is the worst-hit with 57 fatalities and 118 injuries, reports Xinhua news agency.

As of Thursday evening, 53 houses were also destroyed in Punjab, including in the provincial capital of Lahore, due to the heavy rain.

The torrential rains in Lahore, dubbed as “record-breaking” by the Punjab’s caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, caused urban flooding in the city, inundating several areas and disrupting road traffic for hours.

Rawalpindi also received heavy rains for over 12 hours on Wednesday, resulting in a rise in water levels in streams and drainages to an alarming level, and the local municipal authority had to call in the army to help them in meeting any untoward situation.

At least 12 people were killed on Wednesday after a wall of an under-construction bridge collapsed on laborers living in make-shift tents, due to heavy rain in the city.

According to a district administration spokesman, rainfall gauging stations recorded up to 200 mm of rain in several areas of the city, causing urban flooding and roof collapse incidents.

A total of 25 people were killed and 41 others were injured in separate rain-related accidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the NDMA said.

The torrential rain also damaged 60 houses and perished 43 livestock in the province, the Authority added.

In Sindh province, 10 people were killed and two others were injured when lightning struck a house during a thunderstorm earlier in June.

Six people were killed and 13 others were injured in southwest Balochistan province, and three more lost their lives in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, where five people were also injured in heavy rains, the NDMA’s figures showed.

One man got injured in the north Gilgit Baltistan region, where seven houses were destroyed and 15 livestock perished in heavy rains.