Wet spells in Pakistan’s Punjab province kill 18, injure 57

Lahore [Pakistan], June 30 (ANI): Monsoon rains in Punjab province of Pakistan claimed 18 lives, including 11 children, while 57 people were injured in rain-related incidents in 24 hours, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab said in a report on Monday, ARY News reported.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), in a fact sheet released today, stated that most of the deaths resulted from the collapse of dilapidated buildings and their rooftops.

The rainfall damaged 27 houses, PDMA said. “In the incidents of lightning strike in Khanewal and Okara, two persons were killed, while two children were electrocuted to death in Mandi Bahauddin," according to the report.

The first spell of monsoon is expected to persist in the province until July 1, as per ARY News.

The weather reports indicated urban flooding in Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, and Gujranwala cities of Punjab, according to ARY News.

A contingency alert has been issued for the big cities of the province, while authorities have imposed a ban on bathing and swimming in rivers, canals, and rain drains, the Director General of PDMA Punjab said, the report said.

Earlier on Sunday, a family picnic ended in tragedy when a sudden flash flood in Zhob swept away six family members visiting from Multan, ARY News reported.

In the recent Zhob flash flood incident, four women, including three sisters, sank while two others incurred injuries, according to rescue authorities. The family had arrived via Quetta and was taken aback by the powerful water flow, the report said.

Meanwhile, a family from Pakistan’s Sialkot lost 11 members to a sudden surge in the water level of the Swat River, Geo News reported. The report said 17 members of the family were swept away during a picnic along the Swat River, as per Geo News.

The search is still ongoing for two individuals, while four have been rescued.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information Atta Tarar on Saturday demanded the suspension of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur following a tragic incident at the Swat River, ARY News reported.

PDMA Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday said that 20 people were killed and several were injured in flooding and rain-related incidents in the province. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)

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