KARACHI: At least 21 people were killed in Karachi on Wednesday after strong winds and rain caused a wall, multiple roofs and a tree to collapse in different parts of the city, police and rescue services said.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department said strong winds accompanied the rainfall, with speeds reaching up to 97 kilometers per hour in some areas.
Authorities have warned of unstable weather conditions, while rescue teams remain engaged in clearing debris and searching for any additional victims.
“The total number of people killed in accidents across the city has reached 21,” Rescue 1122 emergency service said in a statement released to the media.
The deadliest incident occurred when 13 people were killed after a wall collapsed in Moach Goth, a low-income neighborhood in Baldia Town.
“The deceased were standing next to the wall to protect themselves from the rain,” Keamari Deputy Commissioner Amir Afzal Owaisi said.
“The wall collapsed due to the storm,” he added.
Owaisi said access to the site was difficult due to uneven roads, which slowed rescue efforts that were still ongoing as authorities continued to clear debris.
“We are removing more debris and it is possible that someone may still be trapped,” he said, adding that all those killed in the incident were local residents.
Rescue 1122 shared details of the incidents that led to the deaths of 21 people, apart from the 13 killed in Baldia.
In the city’s Qur’angi No. 3 area, a woman named Sheeta died when the roof of her house collapsed while another man named Hazrat died due to electrocution in the city’s Memon Goth area.
A four-year-old girl died after a wall collapsed at her home in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar area while in Neelam Colony, a low-income neighborhood, a woman died after a tree fell on her home.
A four-year-old girl named Zeenat died when the roof of her home collapsed, Rescue 1122 said.
In Karachi’s Landhi Kala Pani area, a man and his wife were killed when the roof of their house collapsed. The victims were identified as Sher Ali, 48, and his wife Riyasat, 45.
In Qur’angi No. 5, a man aged around 30 was killed after a tree fell near Tasleem Ground, while in Bhains Colony, a young girl died when a roof collapsed, according to police.
