• Lightning strikes house in Naya Nazimabad, no one hurt
• Surjani Town sees most rain
• Light showers may continue today

KARACHI: Six people were killed in two rain-related traffic accidents as Karachi and its outskirts received light to moderate showers on Sunday.

The people of Karachi woke up to thunders and lightning, which led to rainfall in different parts of the city. As the shower count stayed light to moderate, the thunders and lightning triggered fears among residents.

The power supply system of a house in Naya Nazimabad was struck by lightning but luckily, no one was hurt in the incident.

Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz said the combination of sea breeze with cold winds had increased the chances of ‘tornadoes and lightning’ which were witnessed in the fresh rain spell.

Although the system had lost its intensity, he said, it could still cause light rains early on Monday.

Surjani Town received the highest amount of rain which was 29 millimetres, or 1.14 inches, followed by Nazimabad with 21.2mm, Gulshan-i-Hadeed 20mm, Keamari and PAF Base Faisal 19mm each, PAF Masroor Base 18mm, University Road 15.7mm and Saadi Town 15mm. The other parts of the city received rains in single digit count.

After the rain the city temperature dropped to 27 degree Celsius with 83 per cent humidity.

A Met office advisory says that the city weather is likely to stay ‘mostly cloudy’ on Monday (today) but expected to turn ‘hot and humid’ on Tuesday (tomorrow).

Five die as coach overturns on motorway

Five persons, including two children, were killed and 20 others injured when an apparently fast-moving passenger coach overturned on M-9 motorway near Karachi due to rain on Sunday.

Officials said that the passenger coach was on its way from Karachi to Larkana and the incident took place near Jokhio Mor.

Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed said that three persons, including two children, were brought dead at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said that two more persons, aged between 30 and 35 years, were shifted to a private hospital, where doctors declared them dead.

Girl dies

In Baldia Town, a 10-year-old girl was killed and her relative injured when their motorcycle slipped due to rain.

Officials said that the incident took place on Suparco Road. The body was shifted to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.

Power failures

Several areas of the city experienced power outages during rain.

However, the K-Electric claimed that power supply to Karachi remained stable amid intermittent showers.

In a statement, the power utility said that the KE teams continued to closely monitor the situation, maintaining proactive contact with key departments of the government of Sindh, Met office, and the city’s administration, while the field teams remained available to address any faults.

“Over 1,900 feeders of KE’s network of almost 2,100 feeders remained fully energised at any given time. In accordance with emergency safety protocols, power supply to low-lying areas with a risk of water logging and those with a high prevalence of kundas was temporarily suspended. These areas have also been gradually re-energised after clearance from field teams,” it said.

Mayor visits city areas

The civic administration, which claimed to have mobilised its teams and resources two days ago following the Met office forecast, was, to some extent, able to handle the challenge as no major urban flooding incident, that had been seen in the past, was witnessed on Sunday.

“The staff is busy clearing rainwater from [areas] where it has collected,” Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab posted on X (formerly Twitter).

A statement issued by his office said that the city mayor visited various areas where he appreciated the teams busy draining out rainwater.

Barrister Wahab said that all staff of the KMC, Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation, and Sindh Solid Waste Management Board were present on the ground to tackle the rain situation.

“For the first time, vehicles with suction, jetting and pumping features have also been deputed on major arteries to deal with the situation,” he shared in another post.

Sindh chief secretary Syed Asif Haider Shah, on the other hand, issued high alert for all municipalities, administrative bodies, and hospitals across the province to meet rain related challenges.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2024