At least 11 killed in wall collapse in Islamabad amid heavy rains

At least 11 people were killed and six others injured on Wednesday after a building’s wall collapsed at Islamabad’s Peshawar Road during the heavy rains, Aaj News reported.

The wall was 100-foot wide and 11-foot high, under which labourers had set up a tent to live at the construction site.

The bodies of the deceased were shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

Chief Commissioner Noorul Amin Mengal in a tweet said that the site was visited to assess the dewatering and search and rescue operations.

“All possible resources are being utilised to facilitate people.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep grief and sorrow over the death of the people and directed the administration to stay alert in view of the heavy rains.

Several injured in vehicle collisions

Separately, at least 11 people were injured when a vehicle crashed into three buses that had already collided on the M-1 (Islamabad-Peshawar) motorway near the Burhan Interchange.

While sharing clips of various road accidents, the Islamabad Police advised citizens to remain cautious while driving.

On Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi directed the authorities concerned with the district administration to utilise all available resources and complete the rainwater drainage operation.

‘‘The officers of the administration and related institutions should remain in the field until the drainage work is completed,’’APP quoted the minister as saying.

Meanwhile, in its report, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that heavy rain is expected today throughout Punjab, causing urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala, and Lahore.

It may also trigger landslides in the vulnerable areas of Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the period, the alert added.

The PMD said Karachi Division, Shaheed Benazirabad, Hyderabad, Sanghar, Badin, Thatta and Districts are also expected to see dust-thunderstorm and rain with isolated downpours in intermittent spells from July 20 till July 22.

Earlier this month, record heavy monsoon rain caused urban flooding in Lahore inundating different localities, including low-lying areas, and claimed eight lives.

India also witnessed torrential downpours and as a result, released more water towards the downstream areas in Pakistan, leaving the risk of flooding in the country.

Last year, unprecedented monsoon rains hit a third of Pakistan, killing more than 1,700 people, injuring thousands, destroying over two million houses, and killing millions of livestock.