FAISALABAD/LAHORE - At least four people, including three factory workers, were killed while several others sustained injuries in rain related accidents in different parts of the Punjab province amid heavy rains due on Saturday.
A Rescue 1122 spokesman said that heavy rains hit Faisalabad on Friday which continued till Saturday with intermittent intervals and caused roof collapse incidents in various parts.
He said that three factory workers, including 40-year-old Rizwan of Waziristan, 18-year-old Wasif and 30-year-old Musawwar of Kot Addu were killed while their co-worker Rasheed (35) of Sahiwal was shifted to hospital when they all were buried beneath the debris in a factory due to a collapse of its rundown roof in the FIEDMC Area.
Similarly, 35-year-old Abida Shehbaz was also killed when an old roof of her house caved in due to the rain in Chak No.431-GB Barala Tandlianwala.
Meanwhile, 36-year-old Sumaira Abbas and 17-year-old Ali Haidar sustained serious injuries when the roof of a house collapsed due to a rain near Bismillah Hotel on Jhumra Road. The police took the bodies into custody while Rescue 1122 shifted the injured to hospital for treatment, he added.
At least two persons sustained injuries when the roof of a house collapsed at Waris Road, Lahore on early Saturday morning. According to the rescue sources, that rescuers pulled out the injured from the debris and admitted to hospital where their condition was stated to be critical, private news channels reported.
Police also rushed to the scene to maintain law and order, deploying extra traffic wardens to clear the road and facilitate emergency response efforts.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday has warned of potential urban flooding due to the combination of heavy rain and strong winds in various cities.
According to a private news channel, NDMA alert said that multiple cities including Lahore, Sialkot, and Narowal are particularly at risk of urban flooding from heavy downpours over the next 24 to 48 hours and a medium to high-level flood surge is also expected in the Chenab River.
NDMA officials have also indicated that Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, and Multan may face urban flooding, with a heightened risk of flash floods in the mountainous streams of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur.
In Balochistan, areas such as Kalat, Ziarat, Zhob, and Quetta are at risk of water surges from the hills, while urban flooding could occur in some areas of Sindh, including Nawabshah and Sukkur.
Authorities are on high alert and have urged the public to take necessary precautions in affected regions.
PMD revises weather advisory amid heavy rain expected across country
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has updated its weather advisory, indicating a shift in the monsoon system from Karachi and lower Sindh towards central and upper Sindh, as well as Balochistan.
According to PMD alert issued here Saturday, the likelihood of heavy rain in Karachi has diminished, while the city may still experience light to moderate rainfall.
Furthermore, cities in Sindh such as Jacobabad, Larkana, Dadu, Shikarpur, Ghotki and Sukkur are expected to experience heavy rainfall.
The PMD has forecast that this weather system may continue to affect Sindh until the morning of August 19.
Previously, the PMD had predicted thundershowers for Karachi within the next 24 hours. However, the latest advisory suggests that the intensity has decreased for the port city.
Meanwhile, various parts of the country, including Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have already experienced rainfall.
The weather in Lahore has turned pleasant with ongoing rain, accompanied by strong winds in some areas.
Rainfall has also been recorded in other Punjab regions such as Sheikhupura, Rahim Yar Khan, and Kasur, as well as in several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
