KARACHI: Authorities in Pakistan’s Sindh province have imposed an emergency in Karachi, the country’s largest city and commercial capital, after flash floods triggered by heavy rain inundated vast swathes of the metropolis, killing at least seven people in separate incidents.
The downpour on Tuesday brought life to a standstill as several thoroughfares in the city of over 20 million were deluged by floodwaters. Rainwater entered homes in low-lying areas of the city, triggering power outages.
Local authorities advised people to avoid commuting as many returning from work and schools were stranded, with vehicles strewn along roads forcing many to navigate to safety in waist-deep water.
“The Mayor Karachi hereby declared Rain Emergency within the city of Karachi,” the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), which oversees administrative affairs of the city, said in a notification.
“The municipal services, fire brigade and USAR (urban search and rescue) departments, KMC are directed to establish Rain Emergency Cell and coordinate with all Essential Services Departments.”
Separately, the provincial education department announced that all schools and colleges in Karachi will remain closed on Wednesday on account of the situation.
Hassaan Khan, a spokesperson for Sindh Rescue 1122 service, said their teams were working tirelessly across the city to respond to rain-related emergencies.
“Unfortunately, seven people have lost their lives in separate rain-related incidents, four in Gulistan-e-Jauhar after a house wall collapsed, one child in a wall collapse in Orangi and two by electrocution in North Karachi and Defense,” Khan told Arab News.
People wade through a flooded street after heavy rainfall in Karachi on August 19, 2025. (AFP)
Karachi, a city of more than 20 million with a dilapidated infrastructure, has often seen even moderate rains trigger flooding in parts of the city, threatening lives of residents and causing hours-long power outages.
The downpour in Karachi occurred at a time when Pakistan is witnessing an intense monsoon season that has already ravaged several areas, particularly in the country’s north where cloudburst-triggered deluges have killed nearly 400 people since Aug. 15.
In total, 707 Pakistanis have perished in this year’s monsoon season that began on June 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Two more spells of rains are expected in the country until mid-September, officials say.
The situation has raised fears of a repeat of the catastrophic 2022 floods that submerged a third of Pakistan and killed more than 1,700 people, besides causing $30 billion in economic losses.
