ISLAMABAD: A child was killed and 11 people were injured as a thunderstorm hit upper parts of Pakistan on Sunday, a rescue official said.
The storm hit Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda and adjacent districts in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and Punjab’s Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Mianwali, Rawalpindi, Murree districts as well as the federal capital of Islamabad.
Sporadic rainfall was witnessed in these areas as several trees were uprooted, roofs caved in and walls of some homes collapsed because of strong gusts of winds.
“So far, one child lost their life and 11 people have been injured in Nowshera and Charsadda,” Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the KP Rescue 1122 service, said, adding that rescue teams were busy clearing affected areas.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) earlier warned citizens of temporary disruptions in power supply, cautioning citizens of potential hazards.
“Stay away from trees, billboards, and unsecured structures that could collapse,” it said. “Park vehicles in safe, covered areas and avoid unnecessary movement during storms.”
Pakistan has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns which have led to frequent heat waves, untimely rains, storms, cyclones and droughts in recent years. Scientists have blamed the events on human-driven climate change.
In 2022, devastating floods, blamed on human-driven climate change, killed more than 1,700 Pakistanis, affected another 33 million and caused the country over $30 billion in economic losses.
