Karachi receives light showers with strong winds overnight

Karachi received light to heavy showers along with gale-force winds overnight on Friday, hours after a thunderous rain spell left at least six people dead and three others injured with electrocution and structural collapse. 

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted more widespread intermittent rain with wind, thunder and isolated hailstorm in upper and southeastern districts of Sindh and at isolated places in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions.

Thunder and lightning echoed through several areas, while light showers fell across central, northern, and southern districts. 

Orangi Town and Chishti Nagar saw steady rain, with residents also reporting brief hail in some areas.

Parts of Saddar, I.I. Chundrigar Road, and Burns Road received intermittent showers, while North Nazimabad and Nazimabad had light rainfall accompanied by flashes of lightning.

Other localities, including Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Liaquatabad, Old Golimar, Scheme 33, Malir Halt, Rifah-e-Aam, Garden, Surjani Town, and areas along M.A. Jinnah Road and Shahrah-e-Pakistan were lightly soaked, giving the port city a rare overnight refresh. 

The current wet spell began yesterday (Thursday) when different areas of Karachi received intermittent rain with isolated heavy falls that inundated the low-lying areas and disrupted traffic on major arteries and roads, leaving commuters stranded in slow-moving traffic jams. Meanwhile, power supply to different feeders was suspended.

At least five people lost life with electrocution in different areas during the downpour.

In Surjani's Hassan Brohi Goth, a man died after suffering an electric shock while working inside his home. A similar incident in PIB Colony also proved fatal, while a young girl lost her life due to electrocution in Surjani Sector 7-A.

Another man was electrocuted near MA Jinnah Road, and a separate incident occurred in Ahsanabad along Super Highway, where a worker died after coming into contact with a live electric source.

In Old Golimar area, a wall collapsed onto a rickshaw during the rain, killing the driver on the spot.

Meanwhile, in Orangi Town, three children were injured when a wall of a house collapsed amid the downpour. Rescue teams responded promptly and shifted the injured to a nearby medical facility.

Rain, wind and thunderstorms occurred at scattered places in the province on Thursday under the influence of a strong westerly wave affecting most parts of the country and likely to persist in the upper and central parts till April 4, according to the Met Office.

The provincial and local governments have taken immediate steps for the disposal of rainwater and maintaining the flow of traffic.

According to the met office, the wettest area in Karachi was Nazimabad with 70mm rainfall, Keamari received 56, Saadi Town 48, University Road 44, Bahria Town 44, Orangi Town 39, Gulshan-E-Maymar 36, Jinnah Terminal 35, Surjani Town 35, Airport Old Area, DHA Phase 2- 33, Faisal Base 30, North Karachi, Masroor Base 29, Korangi 18 and Gulshan-E-Hadeed 17mm of rain up to the evening.

Among the other areas of the province, 50 mm rain was recorded in Mohenjo Daro, followed by Jacobabad with 22, Dadu 14, Hyderabad 13, Larkana 08, Padidan 03, Rohri, Khairpur and Sakrand 02, Chhor and Mithi 01mm.

The met office predicted further likelihood of widespread intermittent rain-windstorm, thunderstorm, as well as isolated hailstorm and heavy falls in Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Umerkot, Nagarparkar, Tharparkar, Dadu, Qambar, Shahdadkot, Kashmore, Jacobabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Shaheed Benazirabad and Nowshera Feroze, while isolated places in Karachi, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Thatta, Badin and Sujawal districts.