Pakistan: Four dead, 28 injured as heavy rains lash Punjab province

Lahore [Pakistan], October 6 (ANI): At least four people have died and 28 others were injured in rain-related incidents across Punjab during the past 24 hours as heavy rainfall continued to lash the province, Dawn reported on Monday, citing Rescue 1122 Punjab.

According to a weather alert issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) last week, a strong westerly weather system was expected to impact the upper catchments of major rivers, as well as Islamabad, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing "heavy to very heavy wind-thunderstorms and rains" from October 5 to October 7, Dawn reported.

Punjab Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmed said, "Over the last 24 hours, four people, including two children, were killed in rain-related incidents, while another 28 were left injured."

He said that in Faisalabad, a 12-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy were killed when the roof of their house collapsed due to heavy rains, leaving seven others injured.

"A 70-year-old man was killed in Nankana Sahib, while a 65-year-old man died in a similar incident in Kasur," the spokesperson added, according to Dawn.

The spokesperson further stated that "at least six people were injured in separate roof collapse incidents in Samundri, Jaranwala, and Kakarwala, four were injured in Chak, three in Manawala, and five people were injured in Faqirwali, Allah Abad, and Sahiwal in separate incidents."

He said two more people were injured in roof and wall collapse incidents in Lahore.

Separately, the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed that most districts in Punjab had received heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours, with Multan recording the highest level at 113 mm, Dawn reported.

The PDMA statement noted that Faisalabad recorded 78 mm of rainfall, Bahawalpur 44 mm, Lahore 40 mm, Khanewal 28 mm, Toba Tek Singh 25 mm, Sialkot 19 mm, and Attock 10 mm.

Gujranwala, Murree, and Sahiwal each recorded 8 mm, Okara 7 mm, Narowal 6 mm, Mangla 5 mm, Gujrat and Hafizabad 3 mm, while Layyah and Kasur recorded 1 mm each.

According to the PDMA, rainfall is expected to continue in several districts over the next 24 hours, including Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Lahore, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Okara, Sahiwal, Kasur, Jhang, Sargodha, and Mianwali.

The PDMA spokesperson cautioned that "the water level in rivers may increase due to the rain, with water in the Chenab River to rise by October 7."

The statement added, "While the levels in the rivers Sutlej and Ravi will depend on the release of water. Water level at Indus and Jhelum is expected to rise as well."

The PDMA has advised citizens to take precautionary measures and placed relevant authorities on high alert, as per the statement.

A rain emergency was declared in Multan after heavy downpours inundated parts of the district on Sunday night and again on Monday afternoon, according to Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Managing Director Khalid Raza Khan.

He urged residents to "take necessary precautions, including avoiding electricity poles and staying indoors."

Earlier, PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia had warned that the intensity of showers would increase on October 6 and 7, with 50 to 70 mm of rain expected in northern and northeastern Punjab, extending into central districts as well.

"Showers were to begin in Punjab from Sunday and continue till October 7 (Tuesday) in the northern parts," he said during a media briefing in Lahore on Saturday, as cited by Dawn. (ANI)

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