Heavy rains pound Lahore for 2nd day, claiming four lives

LAHORE: Torrential rains battered Punjab's capital for the second consecutive day on Thursday, resulting in the death of at least four people and injuries to 14 others in separate incidents.

In a statement, Rescue 1122 said that the roof of a house near Bandianwala Bridge in Lahore's Amar Sidhu area collapsed, resulting in the death of the people.

In the same incident, a 10-year-old was injured and later shifted to Lahore General Hospital for treatment.

As many as 14 people — sitting under the "waiting shade" — were injured when a wall of the Government Mozang Teaching Hospital collapsed, a statement from the Rescue 1122 said.

Punjab interim Health Minister Dr Javed Akram said after being provided with initial treatment, injured people were shifted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

"A 12-year-old boy, who suffered injuries to the head, is in critical condition. An adjoining wall is still standing, however, I haved asked the commissioner to raze it to the ground," Akram said.

Moreover, Punjab interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi told journalists that the injured would receive free treatment.

Lahore, a day earlier, received over 290mm of rain in two spells within a span of 10 hours, breaking a 30-year-old record in the provincial capital.

The incessant rain in the provincial capital also paralysed life, while 10 people lost their lives in different incidents.

Flooding

The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) had warned earlier in the day that heavy rainfall may lead to a "very high to exceptionally high level" of flooding in River Chenab between July 8-10.

The FFD warned: "A deep trough of westerly wave along with strong incursion of monsoon currents from both sources and approaching upper air circulation, widespread heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy falls at scattered places is expected over the upper catchments of rivers Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab and up to some extent over River Jhelum."

Due to these meteorological conditions, very high to exceptionally high-level flooding is expected in River Chenab, while the flood situation in rivers Ravi and Sutlej will depend upon releases from India, it added.

However, the FFD cautioned a high to very high level of flooding is also expected in the nullahs of rivers Ravi and Chenab.