LAHORE:
At least 43 people have died, and 177 others have been injured in monsoon-related incidents across Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the two provinces’ disaster management authorities said on Thursday, as heavy rain continued to batter parts of the country, prompting fresh warnings of flooding and more downpours.
Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said at least 21 people have died and 154 others have been injured in monsoon-related incidents this year. Lahore received 343mm of rainfall over the past 48 hours, prompting authorities to launch large-scale drainage operations across the provincial capital.
In K-P, the PDMA said at least 22 people had been killed and 23 injured in rain-related incidents. The authority warned that intermittent heavy rainfall was likely to continue throughout Thursday.
The K-P death toll included nine men, 10 children and three women, while the injured comprised 11 men, five women and seven children.
Lahore inundated
The latest fatalities in Punjab were reported as Lahore entered a second consecutive day of relentless monsoon rain, with roads, underpasses and low-lying neighbourhoods submerged, disrupting traffic across the city and exposing weaknesses in the provincial capital’s drainage system.
A 19-year-old motorcyclist was critically injured after being electrocuted while riding through rainwater in Lahore as heavy rain inundated more than 130 locations across Lahore, disrupting traffic and prompting authorities to urge residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
Rescue 1122 said the victim, identified as Rehman, son of Mukhtar, suffered an electric shock while passing through standing rainwater on a motorcycle in the Chungi Amar Sidhu area. He was shifted to Lahore General Hospital in critical condition.
The latest incident came as overnight rain left several roads in DHA Phases 1 to 5 waterlogged, disrupting traffic across the area. The Ghazi Underpass and Masjid Chowk Underpass were closed due to flooding, while traffic was diverted through alternative routes.
Around two feet of water accumulated between Defence Mor and the A Block checkpost, slowing traffic, while vehicles were also diverted along the Lalak Jan Chowk-LUMS, Wateen Chowk-LUMS and Main Boulevard stretches because of standing water.
The DHA administration said drainage teams were working at affected locations, with water pumps activated to clear floodwater and restore normal traffic conditions.
Meanwhile, the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) said an 11kV power line near Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Area and Kacha Jail Road was damaged by the rain. The affected feeder was shut down as a precaution while repair and power restoration work continued.
A sinkhole appeared on Khayaban-e-Firdousi, prompting traffic police to cordon off the area, place barriers and divert vehicles onto alternative routes. The Lahore chief traffic officer directed the relevant department to carry out immediate repairs.
In a separate incident, a deep sinkhole measuring about 10 square feet formed on the service road from Bhikay Wala Mor towards Farooq Hospital after part of the road caved in. The area was sealed off, WASA teams were dispatched, and traffic was diverted while repair work was arranged.
According to the PDMA, roof and building collapses accounted for 15 of the 21 deaths, making structural failures the leading cause of fatalities during the current monsoon spell. Two people died in lightning strikes, three were electrocuted, and one drowned.
The authority also reported partial damage to 38 houses, while one head of livestock was killed.
Earlier on Thursday, two teenage brothers were killed in a road accident due to rain. According to Lahore Traffic Police, the brothers were travelling from Lahore to Kasur when their motorcycle skidded on the rain-soaked road and crashed into a footpath near Gate No 2 on the road from Central Park towards Kasur.
The victims, identified as 18-year-old Hamza Arif and his 16-year-old brother Hassan Arif, died at the scene. Traffic police and rescue teams reached the site immediately after receiving reports of the accident.
A traffic police spokesperson said preliminary findings suggested the motorcycle went out of control due to the slippery road conditions.
