KARACHI: Saturday’s [July 7] heavy downp­our — unprecedented in recent years — has, so far, claimed 18 lives, 14 confirmed officially. The torrential rains cut off certain low-lying areas from the City with the result that hund­reds of hut dwellers found it hard to save them­sel­ves from the swirling, devastating rain-water.

As it was beyond the capability of the local administration, the Navy was called in … to help the civil authorities evacuate the people who had been marooned in the worst-affected areas. …

Rescue squads of the … Navy conducted their operations well in time… . The Navy divers, with the help of two rubber dinghies, shifted as many as 400 people from both Manzoor Colony and Lyari areas to safer places. [T]he Karachi Municipal Corporation, which claimed to have set up 15 emergency centres, was not to be seen anywhere in the old town areas. [A] KESC spokesman said only 180 complaints were outstanding, but a survey … showed that parts of North Nazimabad, PECHS, Old Town, Malir etc were still under darkness. — Staff Reporter

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2023