'Record-breaking' rain lashes Lahore, killing at least 6

“Record-breaking” downpour in Lahore on Wednesday killed at least six people, causing flooding and damage to infrastructure, Aaj News reported.

In a statement, Provincial Disaster Management Authority Director General Imran Qureshi said that “we are monitoring the situation from the provincial control room”.

Residents can contact us at 1129 if they need assistance, he added.

Separately, Punjab interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi briefed journalists in Lahore about the incidents caused by heavy rainfall.

“Three people were electrocuted, two died after roofs collapsed, and a child drowned after rain water accumulated,” he said.

“We have dispatched teams across the city to clear main roads and drain water from submerged areas.”

Naqvi said areas such as Muslim Town, Garden Town and Gulberg were majorly inundated due to the overflow of water from the Lahore Canal.

Earlier in the day, Naqvi tweeted that “record-breaking” 272 millimetres of rain was seen in Lahore over nine hours. He said that the heavy rains caused urban flooding.

’’All Cabinet members and Administration are in field to clear the water.

“I am also monitoring the situation in field and getting updates from all over Lahore continuously.’’

The caretaker CM had earlier toured different parts of Lahore and monitored the process of draining the water.

Pakistan expects heavy monsoon rain raising risk of floods

Meanwhile, the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) said Lakhsmi Chowk area received 259mm of rain, Nishter Town 258mm, Gulshan-e-Ravi 251mm, Johar Town 250mm, Qurtaba Chowk 241mm, Tajpura 238mm, Pana Wala Talab 222mm and Iqbal Town 221mm.

The Met Office has said the rain is expected to continue intermittently in Lahore for the next 24 hours.

It said this was due to the infiltration of moist currents from the Arabian Sea into the upper regions of the country.

“Rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Kashmir Murree, Galliyat, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Jhelum, Attock, Chakwal, Sargodha, Mianwali, Faisalabad, Jhang, T T Singh, Bahawalnagar, Narowal, Sialkot, Sahiwal, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Lahore, Bhakkar, Layyah, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan districts,” the Met Office said.

On Sunday, the Met Office had said monsoon rains were predicted in the country from 3 to 8 July.

“Moist currents from Arabian sea are likely to penetrate in upper parts of the country and a westerly wave is also likely to enter in the upper parts of the country on 03rdJuly(evening/night),” it had said on Twitter.