KARACHI: Karachi was thrown into chaos on Wednesday as a severe spell of rain accompanied by blistering winds lashed the metropolis, claiming at least 12 lives and leaving a trail of destruction across the city. The downpour, which began in the afternoon, brought with it wind speeds nearing 100 kilometers per hour, uprooting trees, collapsing walls, and disrupting power supply to numerous neighborhoods.
The deadliest incident occurred in the Baldia Town area, where a wall collapse near Moach Goth resulted in the deaths of 11 people. According to rescue officials, the wall gave way as the storm intensified. “So far, we have recovered 11 bodies and three injured individuals from the rubble. They have been shifted to the hospital for necessary formalities,” a rescue spokesperson confirmed, adding that search operations were ongoing to ensure no one else was trapped. SSP Kemari later stated that the structure was not a residential building and that the roof of the second floor had collapsed onto the first, raising fears that more people could be trapped.
In a separate tragic incident, a person was killed by a lightning strike near the Shah Latif Morghi Khana stop. Furthermore, three people sustained injuries after a house wall collapsed in Quaidabad’s Majeed Colony area.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) recorded astonishing wind speeds. On Sharah-e-Faisal, one of the city’s main arteries, winds were clocked at 90 kilometers per hour, while the coastal area of Maripur experienced even fiercer gusts reaching 97 kilometers per hour.
