Girl dead as Rawalpindi, Islamabad lashed by rains

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad, Rawalpindi and adjoining areas were lashed by intermittent but heavy rains on Sunday due to which low-lying areas got submerged in rainwater and there were reports of a girl drowning.

Media reports quoted a rescue official as saying the five-year-old died after she fell into the water and was swept away into a drain. Her body was later retrieved.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) said emergency response centres were functional were working on draining logged rainwater from the low-lying areas. Geo News reported that water had entered houses in multiple areas of Rawalpindi.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, meanwhile, put departments on alert in the wake of the rains in Rawalpindi and ordered them to immediately clear water from the low-lying areas.

In a statement, he said all available resources will be utilised for the drainage of rainwater and any negligence in this regard would not be tolerated. He directed the district administration, Provincial Disaster Management Authority and Rescue 1122 to make all necessary arrangements to cope with any situation as a result of the torrential rain. He said officers should personally visit the field to monitor the efforts for drainage of rainwater “instead of sitting in their offices”.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also received heavy rains.