KARACHI: The death toll from the gusty winds-related incident surged to six in Karachi as one more person died after being hit by a block in the metropolis Saturday.
With uprooting electricity poles and trees, falling walls, and collapsing roofs, the gusty winds have claimed six lives in different areas of the metropolis so far and continued to batter the metropolis.
According to police, a man who was asleep on the sidewalks in the Dhoraji area was killed when a block fell on his face due to strong winds, taking the death toll to six.
Yesterday, five people were killed as torrential winds caused roofs and walls structures to collapse in different areas of the port city.
As per the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the dusty winds have affected the visibility in the city leaving the people's lives disrupted and the system in disorder.
The visibility near the airport was recorded at 500, said the PMD.
According to reports, air pollution has increased in the atmosphere while some people have difficulty breathing. Strong winds of 35 km per hour are currently blowing in Karachi, and the city temperature is 20 degrees Celsius, PMD said.
Karachi is currently ranked third in the world in terms of air pollution and first in Pakistan, with 224 particulate meters in the metropolis' atmosphere, according to the Air Quality Index.
The Meteorological Department, on the other hand, predicted that due to stormy winds, the city's temperature would drop to a single-digit starting today and that the city would remain under the cold spell until January 27.