ISLAMABAD: Eleven people lost their lives on Wednesday morning after a wall came crashing down near an under-construction bridge in Pakistan’s federal capital amid torrential rain, which also lashed the neighboring city of Rawalpindi.
The National Weather Forecasting Center of the Pakistan Meteorological Department predicted heavy monsoon rains starting from July 18 and indicated that they were likely to intensify on July 19.
It specifically mentioned the possibility of urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, as well as in other cities located in the upper and central parts of the country, adding that the recent spell of rainfall would continue until July 22 and was likely to trigger landslides in the vulnerable areas of Murree, Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, and hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the period.
“At least 10 to 12 people were killed while five injured when the wall of an under-construction bridge collapsed near the Golra Mor interchange in Islamabad,” a police official told Arab News over the phone.
A man cries outside the mortuary after he lost his son by monsoon rains on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, on July 19, 2023. (AP)
He added the station house officer (SHO) of the relevant police precinct would confirm the number of casualties as rescue officials were still busy removing the rubble of the collapsed wall to look for survivors.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s national and provincial disaster management authorities held a meeting with the army along with the flood forecasting center, rescue services, and other related bodies before putting them on high alert to deal with flood-related situations.
Monsoon rains began in Pakistan toward the end of the last month and have so far killed more than 100 people.
Last year, the unprecedented rainfall in Pakistan caused major flash floods across the country, destroying houses, crops, and other public infrastructure and causing an estimated damage of over $30 billion.
The floods that submerged one-third of the country at one point affected 33 million people and claimed 1,700 lives.
The erratic weather patterns in Pakistan, including several heatwaves in recent years, have been attributed to global climate change.
According to the Global Climate Risk Index (2021), Pakistan ranks as the eighth most vulnerable country in the world to long-term climate risk despite contributing less than one percent of global carbon emissions.
