Thunderstorms, gales kill 228 in Karachi

KARACHI: Torrential rain and thunderstorms have killed 228 people and injured about 200 others in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, provincial health minister Syed Sardar Ahmed said on Sunday.   

He said 43 people were killed as rain and high winds lashed the city on Saturday, while "the bodies of 185 more victims were identified today".   

The death toll had now risen to 228, he said, adding some 200 other people were injured, mostly in the suburbs of the port city.   

The heavy wind and rain late Saturday wreaked havoc in Karachi, which received 17.2 millimetres of rain within one hour. Many people died in roof collapses and electrocutions before much of the city plunged into darkness after its power grid blacked out.   

The worst hit area was the impoverished Gadap neighbourhood, where roofs of shanty houses collapsed on families, officials said.   

A spokesman for the Edhi Trust, which runs welfare homes and a massive network of ambulances, also put the toll at more than 200.   

Ahmed said an emergency had been declared at all government hospitals and doctors and paramedical staff had any leave cancelled.   

Torrential rain and gale-force winds uprooted trees, power pylons and huge steel billboards causing damage to buildings and vehicles.     

Sporadic incidents of rioting were reported from different parts of Karachi where people complained of a night-long power outage.   

Officials said the power supply was restored to most parts of the city Sunday. The meteorological office has forecast more rain this week.