Severe monsoon rains batter Pakistan, causing casualties and destruction. Heavy monsoon rains accompanied by strong winds have struck Pakistan, resulting in widespread flooding, uprooted trees, and the loss of at least 11 lives in the past 24 hours.
Eight fatalities were reported in Punjab province, particularly in the capital city Lahore, which experienced record-breaking rainfall on Wednesday. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) stated that six individuals were also injured in rain-related incidents.
Most of the deaths occurred due to electrocution and roof collapses in various parts of the city, according to Mohsin Naqvi, the acting chief minister of Punjab.
Three additional casualties were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where torrential rains caused power outages, uprooted trees and utility poles, and triggered landslides in several districts.
Lahore received an unprecedented 291mm of rain in just 10 hours on Tuesday, resulting in submerged roads, power outages, and overflowing canals.
According to Naqvi, this recent rainfall has broken a 30-year record for single-day precipitation. Rainwater also entered two major state-run hospitals in the city, necessitating the relocation of patients to upper floors.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecasted more rainfall in the next 24 hours in parts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan province, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Since the onset of the monsoon season in June, over 40 people have lost their lives due to rain-related incidents across Pakistan.
Monsoon rains have historically caused significant damage to both human lives and already fragile infrastructure in Pakistan. In recent years, the climate crisis has intensified their frequency, intensity, and unpredictability.
Last year, unprecedented rains and floods affected one-third of Pakistan, resulting in over 1,700 fatalities, the destruction of hundreds of thousands of homes, schools, hospitals, roads, and bridges in Balochistan and Sindh, and economic losses exceeding $30 billion.
