Death toll in Karachi rises to 11 as heavy monsoon rains cause 'critical situation'

At least 11 people, including a child, lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Karachi, police said on Sunday as the megalopolis experienced heavy monsoon showers for a second consecutive day.

Nine people died of electrocution, while two were killed in roof collapses in Qasbah Colony and Bhatta Village, Edhi sources and the Superintendent Police Korangi told DawnNewsTV. Seven animals were also killed in various rain-related incidents, sources said.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Sindh leader Khurram Sher Zaman, in a press conference with President Haleem Adil Shaikh, demanded K-Electric to pay Rs10 million as compensation to families of victims who died from electric shocks.

Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar also said that he will accompany people who wanted to file a first information report against K-Electric.

The deluge caused an electricity breakdown in the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board's pumping stations, as a result of which the city could not be provided up to 250 million gallons of water.

Roads across the city are flooded with rainwater, while electricity supply is suspended in certain areas. A rescue operation conducted by the Rangers is currently underway.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah spoke to the Karachi commissioner and other officials, including local body and KWSB personnel, directing them to begin drainage of rainwater from the streets as soon as the rain stops.

He also directed Karachi Police Chief Ghulam Nabi Memon to ask police to help people in the city, particularly residents of low-lying areas and informal settlements (katchi abadis).

Akhtar, in a conversation with the media, criticised the provincial government and demanded that the city be declared "disaster-struck" so that PDMA and NDMA can provide assistance to authorities in tackling the damage caused by rain. He also urged citizens to stay away from electric poles and wires, in light of multiple deaths caused by electrocution.

He insisted that the metropolitan city needed proper infrastructure.

While talking to reporters later, Shah urged citizens to consider sacrificing animals on the second or third day of Eidul Azha.

Earlier, Akhtar had said that due to the rainwater accumulated on the roads, sacrificing animals in the streets will not be safe on Eidul Azha. He added that citizens could use the KMC slaughterhouse to sacrifice animals.

Meanwhile, PTI Sindh president Shaikh visited Shahrah-i-Faisal along with machinery to lift cars and rescue citizens stuck due to accumulation of rain water. Criticising the government, he said that the authorities failed to take any steps to prevent the city from damage caused by rain, despite prior warning.

"Karachi is drowning but the government is sleeping," Sheikh said.

'Critical situation'

K-Electric, in a tweet, said that the rainfall had created a "critical situation in Karachi" and urged the city administration to declare a state of emergency. 

In a series of tweets, the city's electricity provider said that low-lying areas such as Landhi, Ilyas Goth, Ibrahim Hyderi, Majid Colony Union Council 4, Shah Faisal, Malir Scheme 33, Rehri Goth and Korangi, which are prone to urban flooding, had been inundated with rainwater.

KE said that electricity supply to areas in a "state of urban flooding" had been suspended in the interest of public safety after it received reports of water accumulating around power installations and entering homes, posing a risk of electrocution.

K-Electric said that restoration efforts had also been hampered due to the challenging conditions and urged civic bodies to ensure drainage of water so that power could be restored.

A number of cities across the country have received rainfall as a monsoon system from India draws closer to Pakistan.

At least six people were killed and 14 others injured in various districts as heavy rains lashed swathes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa overnight on Saturday, according to the PDMA.At least 50 heads of cattle and hundreds of chickens also died due to the rain.

Source: The Dawn