Different places in the country were lashed by rain and hailstorms  on Saturday morning, bringing down the temperatures and bringing smiles on people’s faces in the holy month of Ramadan. Different parts of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Punjab received rain which not only turned the weather cooler but also created a flood-like situation in cities like Peshawar, the capital of KP, prompting the provincial Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur to direct the PDMA and the rescue personnel to remain prepared to deal with any eventuality. “All resources should be utilized to cope with any untoward incident, he stressed, adding that timely assistance and relief should be ensured. “Necessary measures should be taken to open the roads which may be closed due to rains and snowfall and availability of small and large machinery and manpower should be ensured,” the CM directed.

The situation was same in Balochistan where rain and hailstorms pounded the provincial capital Quetta and other cities, again turning the weather chilly in these areas.  Rain and hailstorms in some places were also reported from different cities of Punjab, including Lahore.   Temperatures came down in Lahore as rain, coupled with a cool breeze, kept pouring throughout the night.  Areas of the city like Township, Model Town, Gulberg, Garhi Shahu, Dharampura, Mughalpura, Ferozepur Road, Canal Road, Katcha Jail Road, Jail Road, Ichhra and Rehmanpura received light to moderate rain.  Showers were also reported from other Punjab cities, including Multan, Vehari, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Kamonki, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Wazirabad, Daska and Gujranwala.

Heavy rain also resulted in the suspension of the power supply to Gujranwala and Daska as several feeders were tripped, while a hailstorm in Multan and its adjoining areas such as Basti Malook and Makhdoom Rasheed led to fears of colossal loss to crops.  Three people were buried underneath the rubble when the roof of a house caved in at Kharryan village of Bajaur due to heavy rain. Rescue 1122 personnel, however, recovered those injured and shifted them to hospital. Three wounded in incident of roof collapse in Peshawar Heavy rain resulted in the collapse of a roof at Warsak Road in Peshawar due to which three people, a woman and two kids, were buried underneath the rubble. The Rescue 1122 personnel, however, managed to recover all three of them and shifted them to hospital.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan