The monsoon season's first rains brought some desperately awaited respite to the residents of Karachi, who had been braving hot and humid weather conditions for the past several days.

But as with monsoon almost every year, the showers wreaked havoc on the city's ill-maintained municipal infrastructure, disrupting electricity for hours and causing traffic jams on almost every major thoroughfare.

At least seven people have been killed in different rain-related incidents since the first rain spell hit the city on Monday.

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Header image: Men avoid a puddle of water as they head to a nearby mosque, after the season's first monsoon rain in Karachi on July 6. — Reuters