Monsoon rains hit different parts of the country causing 15 deaths in rain-related accidents Wednesday while heavy rainfall was reported in areas including Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Badin, Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Umer Kot, Chor, Khokhrapar, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Swat and Chitral.
According to sources, heavy downpour in Tehsil Nasirabad of Azad Kashmir swept away 17 people including two women and four children while the bodies of three persons were recovered. Police also confirmed the death of 13 other persons who were drowned. The assistant commissioner confirmed the incident and said that landsliding also occurred in the area after the rainfall.
Rescue teams were at work in the Machiara ravine, around 40 kilometers (24 miles) from Muzaffarabad, AJK, said Raja Muazzam, director of Kashmir’s Disaster Management Authority. “We have recovered three dead bodies. Those who were swept away in the flood waters and are still missing include six men and three women,” Ansar Yaqoob, a senior government official, said. Police said three bodies were retrieved by the rescuers including that of Muhammad Yusuf (45), school girl Tahira (13) and an unidentified person while others could not be traced till filing of the story.
“The water level is still very high and has hampered the rescue operation. It seems that there is no chance for any survival.” A woman died when the roof of her house collapsed due to rain in Makrani Para. Neelum Highway was blocked for all sorts of traffic due to landsliding while the administration has instructed the residents living at the banks of River Jhelum to shift to safer grounds. Skardu, Astore, Chilas and other areas of Gilgit-Baltistan received rain while snowfall was also reported in upper parts of Skardu.
Meanwhile, widespread monsoon rains with scattered heavy downpours are predicted in various parts of the country from Thursday to Sunday. According to the advisory issued by the Chairman Federal Flood Commission Asjad Imtiaz Ali here on Wednesday, monsoon low pressure has intensified as a “Well Marked Low” and a low pressure has moved westward during the last 24 hours and right now lies over Orisa (India) and adjoining areas of Chhattisgarh (India) and this weather system will move westward resulting strong monsoon in various parts of the country from Thursday to Sunday. As a result, widespread monsoon rains with some heavy downpours in the country may generate urban and flash floods in the vulnerable areas during the above mentioned period. In the Federal Capital and various parts of Punjab, scattered rain/thundershowers with isolated heavy falls are expected on Wednesday whereas widespread rain/thundershowers with scattered heavy falls may occur in Punjab from Thursday to Sunday (September 6 to 9) In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, scattered rain/thundershowers with isolated heavy falls are expected on Tuesday/Wednesday whereas widespread rain/thundershowers with scattered heavy falls may occur from Thursday to Sunday (September 6 to 9). In Sindh, scattered rain/thundershowers with isolated heavy falls are expected on Wednesday whereas widespread rain/thundershowers with scattered heavy falls may occur in Punjab from Thursday to Saturday (September 6 to 8). In Balochistan, isolated rain/thundershowers with isolated heavy falls are expected on Wednesday/Thursday whereas widespread rain/thundershowers with isolated heavy falls may occur from Thursday to Saturday (September 6 to 8).
