ISLAMABAD: As rain lashed Islamabad and Rawalpindi, five deaths were reported in Model Town, Sihala, on Tuesday after the roof of a warehouse belonging to an automobile company caved in due to the downpour.

After the incident in which eight people were buried, the warehouse was sealed by the district administration and an inquiry was ordered to probe the incident. The officials of the capital administration said legal action will be taken in light of the inquiry.

Police said the labourers — who died in the incident — had arrived at the site in the morning to repair a leak in the building but there were hurdles to the repairs due to the downpour, putting a stop to the work.

As some of the workers took shelter under the roof, the structure collapsed, burying at least eight people under the rubble. Subsequently, the people of the nearby areas rushed to the spot and the rescue department and police were also informed about the incident.

Met Office predicts wet spell to continue till Aug 31

Three labourers were rescued and moved to the hospital for medical assistance, the police said, adding that five labourers, however, could not survive. Their bodies were shifted to the hospital for legal procedures.

The deceased were identified as Sajjad, Touqeer, Tanveer and Lucky (residents of Taunsa Sharif) while one named Ijaz belonged to Karachi, the police said, adding that the injured were identified as Abid Hussain, Mohammad Najib and Jamshed, all hailing from Taunsa Sharif.

Rawalpindi rain

In Rawalpindi, the temperature dropped to 26 degrees Celsius but the deluge created a mess in the city, particularly in low-lying areas. The Meteorological Department recorded 11mm of rain in Saidpur, 12mm at Zero Point, 9mm in Golra, 22mm in Bokra and 27mm at the Islamabad International Airport in the federal capital whereas 38mm of rain was recorded at Kutchery Chowk, 33mm in Chaklala and 15mm in Shamsabad in Rawalpindi.

Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Managing Director (MD) Saleem Ashraf told Dawn the rain did not increase the water level in Leh Nullah. “The water level in Leh Nullah at Kattarian was 5 feet from morning to evening while 4 feet at Gawalmandi,” he said.

The Wasa MD said water accumulated at Committee Chowk and some other low-lying areas but it was cleared by the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Met Office predicted rainfall in the upper parts of the country till August 31. The Met Office said widespread rain-windstorm/thundershower was likely in most parts of the country and heavy falls with gusty winds/windstorms were also expected at scattered places in Sindh, south Punjab and east/south Balochistan.

The office warned that torrential rains may generate pluvial flood/inundation may occur in low-lying areas of Sindh, Balochistan and southern Punjab.

Flash floods in Jhelum

The unabated rains triggered flash floods in several villages and towns located at the foot of the Salt Range in Tehsil Pind Dadan Khan of the district Jhelum.

According to local sources, normal life was disrupted as torrents of rainwater rushing down the hills inundated the roads, houses, mosques and offices in various areas. A bus carrying cement factory workers also overturned, but all passengers were rescued quickly by Rescue 1122 personnel.

Mohammad Waseem, a local journalist of Pind Dadan Khan, told Dawn that the rain caused flash floods in several areas of the tehsil that were situated beneath the hilly terrain of the Salt Range of Khewra.

According to Mr Waseem, the Khewra road linkage to Pind Dadan Khan town was inundated, as were the villages and towns of Samanwal, Sauwal, Golpur and Kandwal. He said that the road infrastructure of these areas was already in shambles.

The union council offices in Sauwal town were completely inundated, and so were the houses.

The official union council records, which were almost damaged, were shifted to a safe place by Rescue 1122 workers as over three feet of rainwater deluged the offices and compound. The household items, including residents’ electronic appliances, were completely damaged. Similar situations were reported in the surrounding villages.

In Kandwal town, residents were cut off from other areas as the flooding in the nullah washed away the temporary passage, while the ‘under construction’ bridge on the nullah remains a dream for the residents. The school-going children were the worst to suffer in Kandwal, and they were being rescued and transported across the flooded nullah on trucks and tractor-trolleys.

The bus of a cement factory in Pind Dadan Khan also skidded off the road under the pressure of swirls of flood water, and later on, the Rescue 1122 men saved the lives of the passengers and provided first aid to three injured persons.— Hamid Asghar from Gujar Khan also contributed to this story

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2024