MITHI: At least seventeen persons were killed and five others injured in separate thunderbolt strike incidents in Sindh amid heavy rainfall with a thunderstorm on Thursday.
In Udani village near Chhachhro town, a woman Sona Dohat, 35, was killed. In another incident, three members of a family identified as Abdul Razzaq, Muqima and Sakina residents of Morasiyo village, lost their lives in lightning related incidents.
Seven people lost their lives in Thar’s Chhachhro area, another four people were killed and two children sustained critical burns in Sanghar, a city in Sanghar district, and a youth in Kandhkot was also pronounced dead.
The injured and dead bodies were shifted to Tharparkar hospital, rescue officials said.
Dozens of animals have also lost their lives in the region during the last 24 hours as heavy to moderate rainfall still continues across the desert, creating panic among the people of Tharparkar and adjacent areas.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), a westerly wave is affecting lower parts of the country.
The met office had predicted rainfall at Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpur Khas, Sanghar, Umarkot, Shikarpur and Jacobabad on Thursday (today).
According to reports, 11-millimeter rainfall recorded at Mithi, 15 mm at Islamkot, 27 mm at Nangarparkar, 14 mm at Dhaheli, 08 mm at Diplo and 03 mm at Chhachhro in Thar region.
Thull and adjoining areas in Jacobabad district received downpour, which inundated low lying areas and disrupted electric supply at various places, local sources said.
The Met Office had earlier informed that a slow-moving deep westerly wave is present along northwest Balochistan and likely to affect most central and southern parts of the country from Wednesday to Saturday.
Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz said that a westerly wave will enter in Balochistan from Iran and predicted light rainfall in Karachi on Thursday and Friday.
The rainy spell will likely to continue till November 16, which will push the mercury further down, the weather official added.