ISLAMABAD: A cyclonic storm, ASNA, that developed in the Arabian Sea has steered away from Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi, but it may cause “more severe” rains in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday, citing a top weather official.
The weather system, which developed over India’s Rann of Kutch coast, intensified into the cyclonic storm on Friday. It had drifted westward and was lying at about 230 kilometers southwest of Karachi on Saturday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
Chief Meteorologist Dr. Sardar Sarfaraz said despite the cyclone’s trajectory toward Oman, it could cause heavy rains and thunderstorms in the Sindh province, where Karachi is located, but the neighboring Balochistan could face more severe consequences.
“Despite Cyclone ASNA’s trajectory toward Oman, its effects on Pakistan will still be significant,” Sarfaraz was quoted as saying by the state-run APP news agency. “Balochistan, in particular, can expect more severe consequences than Sindh, with intense rainfall.”
In Sindh, the cyclone could impact Karachi, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allah Yar, Matiari and Jamshoro, while heavy rains and thunderstorms could hit the coastal districts of Hub, Lasbela, Awaran, Kech and Gwadar in Balochistan.
Earlier on Saturday, airport authorities in Karachi directed relocation of all aircraft at the Jinnah International Airport amid a cyclone warning.
Pakistan has already been witnessing monsoon rains, which have claimed 29 lives in Balochistan, 88 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 106 in Punjab, 50 in Sindh, four in Gilgit Baltistan and eight in Azad Jammu Kashmir, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. No loss of lives has been reported in the capital city, Islamabad, so far.
Heavy rains triggered flash floods in Karachi on Friday, causing power outages and closure of schools in the city. A PMD alert on Saturday said heavy rains could inundate low-lying areas of the Makran coast in Balochistan, with sea conditions likely to remain rough.
Pakistan has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns in recent years that scientists have blamed on climate change. This year, the South Asian country recorded its “wettest April since 1961,” with 59.3 millimeters of rainfall, while some areas of the country faced deadly heat waves in May and June.
In 2022, unusually heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting economic losses of around $30 billion, and affecting at least 30 million people.
Cyclone ASNA steers away from Karachi, may cause ‘more severe’ rains in Balochistan — official
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Cyclone ASNA steers away from Karachi, may cause ‘more severe’ rains in Balochistan — official
- The weather system has drifted westward and lies at about 230 kilometers southwest of Karachi
- It may cause heavy rains, thunderstorms in Balochistan’s Hub, Lasbela, Awaran, Kech and Gwadar
Death toll in Pakistan shopping plaza fire rises to 67, officials say
- Rescue teams still searching for damaged Gul Plaza in Karachi where blaze erupted on Saturday, says police surgeon
- Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement
KARACHI: The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping plaza in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi jumped to 67 on Thursday after police and a hospital official confirmed that the remains of dozens more people had been found.
Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said rescue teams were still searching the severely damaged Gul Plaza in the Karachi, where the blaze erupted on Saturday.
Most remains were discovered in fragments, making identification extremely difficult, but the deaths of 67 people have been confirmed, she said. Asad Raza, a senior police official in Karachi, also confirmed the death toll. Authorities previously had confirmed 34 deaths.
Family members of the missing have stayed near the destroyed plaza and hospital, even after providing their DNA for testing. Some have tried to enter the building forcibly, criticizing the rescue efforts as too slow.
“They are not conducting the search properly,” said Khair-un-Nisa, pointing toward the rescuers. She stood outside the building in tears, explaining that a relative who had left to go shopping has been missing since the blaze.
Another woman, Saadia Saeed, said her brother has been trapped inside the building since Saturday night, and she does not know what has happened to him.
“I am ready to go inside the plaza to look for him, but police are not allowing me,” she said.
There was no immediate comment from authorities about accusations they have been too slow.
Many relatives of the missing claim more lives could have been saved if the government had acted more swiftly. Authorities have deployed police around the plaza to prevent relatives from entering the unstable structure, while rescuers continue their careful search.
Investigators say the blaze erupted at a time when most shop owners were either closing for the day or had already left. Since then, the Sindh provincial government has said around 70 people were missing after the flames spread rapidly, fueled by goods such as cosmetics, clothing, and plastic items.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though police have indicated that a short circuit may have triggered the blaze.
Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement, and illegal construction.
In November 2023, a shopping mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22. One of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters occurred in 2012, when a garment factory fire killed at least 260 people.
