30 dead as rains, thunderstorm hit Islamabad, other areas

ISLAMABAD: At least 30 people, including women and children, died and scores of others wounded on Wednesday when heavy rainfall and thunderstorm hit upper parts of Pakistan, Geo News reported.

In Islamabad, 11 people died and 69 were injured a torrential rains lashed the city, rescue services said.

At twin city Rawalpindi 19 people died and 122 were injured, rescue services said.

According to police, a mother and two of her little daughters died when a roof of their house caved in at Sector F-7. Two people were also killed in Bhara Kahu area due to incidents relating to the harsh weather.

Five people were injured in a wall collapse incident in Islamabad’s adjacent city Rawalpindi. 40 injured were taken to Polyclinic and 10 to PIMS hospital, rescue officials told Geo News.

Power supply to several areas in Islamabad was cut off. Affected areas include I-8, I-9, Korangi Town, and Shehzad Town. "The IESCO operation was affected due to the rains and thunderstorm," an IESCO spokesperson said.

A fire broke out at a vegetable market when power cables fell on them due to the thunderstorm. Fire brigade, however, reached the scene and launched efforts to extinguish the blaze in Islamabad.

According to aviation sources, flight operation was also suspended at the Benazir International Airport due to the storm in the federal capital.

In addition, Metro bus service was also halted in Islamabad after strong winds broke windows of metro stations.

The Inspector General (IG) Islamabad Police said police have been alerted in the wake of heavy rains and thunderstorm.

Heavy downpour also slammed the federally administered tribal areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, causing widespread devastation. Rescuers said four people, two of them women, were killed in Nowshehra and Jamrud. A child was reportedly killed in Charsadda.

Meanwhile, gusty winds ransacked the camp where nurses were staging a protest sit-in at Lahore’s Mall Road. Nurses, however, announced that the demonstration will go on despite severe weather conditions.