LARKANA: The management of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) on Friday announced indefinite closure of the institution and all its affiliated colleges due to incessant spells of rains and resultant damage caused to hostels.

It said all academic activities in the university and its constituent colleges and other institutions including Chandka Medical College, Ghulam Mohammad Maher Medical College (Sukkur), Bibi Aseefa Dental College, Institute of Pharmacy, Benazir Nursing College and Institute of Physiotherapy would remain suspended from Aug 19 till further orders.

The teaching and administrative staff would continue to perform their duties as usual, an order issued in this regard said, adding that all students were directed to immediately vacate their hostel rooms and leave for their homes.

Meanwhile, heavy and moderate spells of rain continued to lash almost the entire Larkana division for a third consecutive day on Friday.

Nine people were killed in rain-related incidents in different areas of the district over the last 24 hours.

A woman and her two children were killed when their house collapsed in Khair Mohammed Malgani village, some 12kms from here, within the jurisdiction of the Arija police station. The woman was identified as Ms Haseena. The children aged five and two years but they remained unidentified.

Another woman, Nagina, 45, and her daughter, Shahrukh, 23, were killed after the wall of their neighbour’s house fell on them.

Two critically injured children who were brought from Talbani Jat village located near Wagan town, some 15kms from here late Thursday evening, died during treatment at the Chandka Medical College Hospital in the early hours of Friday.

Identified as Ambreen, 6, and her brother, Faraz Mirjat, they were reported to have sustained injuries when the roof of their house had collapsed during a heavy spell of rain.

A PPHI employee, Sajid Memon, was critically injured when the plaster of his room in office fell on him.

He was taken to the Ratodero Taluka Hospital for emergency treatment and then admitted to the CMCH but he died during treatment. A nine-year-old boy, Mehmood Khatyan, died in Taqi Khatyan village, some 20kms from here, in yet another rain-related incident.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2022