BAHAWALNAGAR, June 10: Thursday evening’s dust storm that disrupted life in the entire Punjab also claimed seven lives, including six in Bahawalnagar district alone.

The velocity of the storm in south Punjab was clocked at 195km an hour.

Police and hospital sources said a minor girl was among the six who perished in Bahawalnagar.

Five-year-old Arooj and Bashir died when outer walls of their houses fell on them.

Reports from Mcload Gang said that Nazar Farid and Abdul Khaliq were killed while a student received injuries when the minaret of a mosque collapsed.

A live electricity wire fell on an unknown youth who died on the spot. Muhammad Sarwar Abid was also killed in a storm-related incident at Adda Ghumandpur.

A textile mills in Bahawalnagar also caught fire during the storm. The management said over 1100 bales worth Rs15 million were burnt.

About two dozen people were injured, hospital sources said.

VEHARI: A head constable was killed and eight others injured during the dust storm.

HC Gulam Rasool was on duty at the general bus stand when the huge hoarding of a multinational company fell on him. He was admitted to the DHQ hospital where he died.

Power supply to a majority of rural areas could not be restored even after 24 hours of the storm.