Heavy rain and strong winds left at least 18 people dead in the country’s financial capital Karachi, city authorities and rescue services said.
Thirteen people died when a wall collapsed on Wednesday, while five people, including two women, were killed elsewhere in the city.
“According to initial reports, the deceased were drug addicts who had taken shelter in the building due to the rain,” the Rescue 1122 emergency service said of the 13 victims.
Light to moderate rain fell across Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital, but was heavier in some areas, meteorologists said yesterday.
Rain in March is common in Punjab province in east-central Pakistan but unusual in Sindh, which is in the southeast.
“This kind of extreme weather event hasn’t happened for a long time,” Pakistan Meteorological Department’s senior official Ameer Hyder Laghari said. — AFP
