In a devastating turn of events, heavy rainfall in the twin cities led to the collapse of walls, resulting in the tragic loss of 13 lives while four people were electrocuted in Lahore taking the tally to 17.
The downpour unleashed chaos as the normally tranquil areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi experienced a series of unfortunate incidents. One such incident occurred on Peshawar Road near Golra Mor in the federal capital.
When a wall of under-construction underpass, measuring approximately 100 feet in length and 11 feet in height, came crashing down, burying 11 laborers beneath its debris.
The victims, who were trapped under the weight of the fallen structure, succumbed to their injuries before rescue personnel from the renowned Rescue 1122 could reach the scene.
Torrential rains continued to lash the twin cities as the monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea intensified Wednesday as forecast by the Pakistan Meteorological Department, with the highest, nearly 200 millimetres, rainfall in Rawalpindi.
Police said that 12 people were killed when the wall of an under-construction bridge came crashing down on them near Golra Mor, Peshawar Road in Islamabad.
They were identified as Muhammad Shoaib, Zahid, Karim, Noor Muhammad, Kaleemullah, Jalal Deen, Akbarzada, Israfel, Nauman, Muhammad Khalid, Yasin, Farooq, Muhammad Shakeel, Inayat, Rehman and Mualim Khan.
They said the wall was 100-foot in length and 11-foot high, under which the labourers had set up a tent to live at the construction site.
The rescue teams reached the site of the incident as soon as they received the report, Rescue 1122 officials stated.
Police said that the rescue workers pulled bodies out from the wall’s debris with the help of machines. Search for more people likely to be stuck under the rubble was underway, with four being rescued alive so far.
Meanwhile, an 11-year-old girl was killed in a similar wall collapse incident in Mohammadi Town within the jurisdiction of Khanna Police Station of Islamabad.
As per Met Department, Shamsabad received up to 188 millimetres of rainfall. It poured up to 110 millimetres in Chaklala, 138 millimetres in Bokra, 102 millimetres in Golra, 98 millimetres at zero-point, 79 millimetres in Kachehri, 64 millimetres at Islamabad airport, and 44 millimetres in Saidpur.
Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Liaquat Ali Chatha on Wednesday directed all the departments concerned to remain on high alert as rain emergency had been declared in the city after heavy rain recorded since Tuesday night.
He visited different city areas and reviewed all the arrangements finalized by Water and Sanitation Agency to cope with urban flooding.
