Rain wreaks havoc in Quetta, four killed

QUETTA: At least four people including two children were killed and over 20 injured in rain-related incidents due to heavy rains on Monday which played havoc in the metropolis.

The city receives around 60 millimeter rain within one and half year time, breaking record of last several years, an official of the local Met Office said.

The torrential rain with hailstorm started lashing Quetta city and suburbs at around 2 p.m. and continued for one and half hour.

The entire city roads and streets were inundated as flash flood coming from mountains surrounding Quetta valley entered houses, markets, shops, hospitals, government and private buildings.

The official sources said among four killed were two children, identified as Ashraf and Asghar, and over 20 others injured in rain-related incidents in different localities of the metropolis.

An 11-year-old child fell down in an open main hole of the sewerage system in Sariab road area and died, they said adding that two persons were swept away by flash flood in Kharotabad area.

The entire city was deprived of electricity after several electric transformers reportedly exploded and electricity pylons fell down.

The flash flood entered in wards of Sandeman Civil Hospital and one of the boundary walls of the hospital collapsed.

All main city roads including Jinnah Road Prince Road Liaquat Bazaar Qandhari Bazaar Brewery Road Spiny Road and others received heavy rains and look like ponds and strerams.

Thousands of vehicles were struck up in flash floods and hail storm shattered the windowpanes of the vehicles.

People were even forced to stay under shelters as trees and sign boards were falling down in torrential rain with hailstorm and windstorm.

According to officials of Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO), two dozen of feeders tripped in the rain.

Dozens of mud houses were collapsed and damaged in slums and downstream areas of the city. Several parts of the city were yet deprived of electricity on Tuesday.

The Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti along with Commissioner Quetta Qamber Dashti and Deputy Commissioner Quetta Daud Khilji visited the rain affected areas of the city.

He said rescue operation was underway to drain out accumulated water from roads and streets and to shift the affected people to safe place.

The sewerage system of the city was chocked. However most of the roads were cleared of rainwater on Tuesday.

Hospital sources said that several people injured in rain related incidents have been brought for medical aid.

The QESCO officials said that they were trying to restore the electricity of the affected areas.