ISLAMABAD, April 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 26 people were killed and scores of others injured as rains and windstorm wreaked havoc across Pakistan over the last two days.
While there were no official figures regarding rain-related casualties, local media reported on Tuesday that the country's southwestern Balochistan province was worst-hit in the rains where nine people were killed and over 50 others injured, making the provincial disaster management authority issue an alert in the province.
Nine people were killed and scores of others injured in separate rain-triggered accidents in the country's eastern Punjab province while five fatalities were reported in the southern port city of Karachi of south Sindh province where dust storm paralyzed life on Monday.
Three people including a toddler were killed in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Hospital sources said that most of the injured people were wounded in road accidents or getting hit by concrete and iron structures.
Several incidents of roof and wall collapse were also reported, and trees and signboards were also uprooted by gusty winds in Karachi and Punjab.
Several kids were injured when the wall of a school collapsed in Karachi, and in a separate incident, several prisoners were injured when a tree falls on a van carrying them in the city.
Rainwater inundated several low-lying houses and roads, disrupting road traffic. Several water drainages also sprang, creating flash flood in adjoining areas and washing away vehicles and mud houses.
A boat carrying 10 fishermen also went missing in the Arabian Sea off Karachi shore. Pakistan navy recovered six fishermen during a rescue operation while the search for the remaining people is still underway.
Talking to Xinhua, officials from Pakistani Meteorological Department said that the weather in the country is currently under the influence of western winds, adding that the maximum rains were recorded as 89 mm in Balochistan whereas the maximum wind was recorded as 90 km/hour in Punjab.
The officials said that the weather disturbance, which hit Balochistan and Sindh in the last two days has moved to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where more windstorm and hailstorm are feared.
The weather office also issued an alert to farmers in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take necessary measures to save their standing crops from gusty wind and hailstorm.
The weather officials said that the current rain spell is feared to trigger off land sliding in northern areas of the country, and relevant authorities have been notified to take necessary measures to face any untoward situation.
The current influence of western winds is likely to persist till the end of April, but its intensity will gradually decrease, the officials said.
