Heavy rains claim 17 lives, leave at least 49 injured in Pakistan's Punjab

Lahore [Pakistan], July 6 : As heavy rains lashed several parts of Punjab province in Pakistan, 17 people were killed and at least 49 were injured on Thursday, reported Dawn.

Numerous incidents of roof and wall collapses occurred throughout Punjab in Pakistan as rains battered some areas of the province for a second straight day.

In a statement outlining the fatalities, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) stated that four people, including three children under the age of 10, perished in Lahore when the roof of a home collapsed due to heavy rains near the Bandianwala bridge in the city's Amar Sidhu neighbourhood.

Whereas, according to PDMA deaths were reported in Gujranwala after a "weak wooden structure" inside a three-storey house collapsed.

The PDMA also stated that it was in touch with the administration and was keeping an eye on the situation from its provincial control room.

The highest amount of rainfall in Lahore was recorded at the Nishtar Town director office by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Monsoon Control Room at 65mm, followed by the Johar Town SDO office at 57mm and Lakshmi Chowk at 38mm, Dawn reported.

The areas that saw the least amount of rain were the airport area (5.5mm), the Mughalpura SDO office (3.5mm), and Upper Mall (3.5mm).

In the meantime, interim Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi claimed that "everything was under control" today. He told reporters in Lahore that each of the eight secretaries was in charge of overseeing an entire Wasa zone.

Additionally, he addressed the province's flood alert, saying, "Commissioners and deputy commissioners have already begun working on this. A meeting about it was presided over by the chief secretary in the morning. On this, the entire administration is working, reported Dawn.

Earlier on Wednesday, nine people had died in various incidents involving electrocution, roof collapses, drowning, and lightning throughout Punjab. The 291 millimetres of "record" rainfall that Lahore experienced was described as unexpected by CM Naqvi.

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