- At least 24 people died due to rain and wind-related incidents in Sindh and Balochistan
- Light to moderate rain, with occasional gusty winds, also expected in Karachi, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad
KARACHI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issued its seventh advisory on Saturday regarding Cyclone “Asna,” which has moved further west-southwestward over the past six hours in the Arabian Sea.
The storm is currently located at Latitude 23.3 N and Longitude 64.5 E, approximately 300 km southwest of Karachi, 230 km south-southwest of Ormara, and 300 km southeast of Gwadar.
The system is expected to continue tracking west-southwestward.
As a result of the storm’s movement, the PMD forecasts rain-thundershowers, with some areas experiencing heavy downpours accompanied by squally winds reaching speeds of 60-70 km/h in the districts of Hub, Lasbella, Awaran, Kech, and Gwadar in Balochistan until tomorrow night.
Light to moderate rain, with occasional gusty winds, is also expected in Karachi, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Matiari, Jamshoro, and Dadu districts of Sindh.
The heavy rains may lead to waterlogging in low-lying areas along the Makran coast. Additionally, sea conditions are likely to remain rough to very rough, with squally winds gusting up to 80 km/h.
Fishermen in Sindh have been advised to avoid venturing into the open sea until tonight, while those in Balochistan are cautioned to stay ashore until tomorrow evening.
Earlier in its sixth alert, the Meteorological Department said that the storm is now moving in a westerly direction, heavy rains are still likely to lash the city as well as Tharparkar, Thatta, and Sajawal; three cities which will be impacted by the storm the most.
Showers have also been predicted for Mirpurkhas, Umarkot and Sanghar.
On the other hand, downpours have been reported from across the province, inundating villages and severing power supply.
Director General Met Office Sahibzada Khan has said that winds, accompanying the rain, may be devastating for the weak infrastructure.
He has said that it is after 60 years that the storm has developed so close to the coastal areas of Sind.
He has described the rising sea temperatures as a worrying sign.
According to the latest Met Office advisory, the Cyclonic Storm (CS) “ASNA” (Pronounced as As-Na) over northeast Arabian Sea off Sindh coast has moved further westward during past 9 hours and now lies at around Latitude 23.6 N & Longitude 65.7 E at a distance of about 200km southwest of Karachi, 220km south-southeast of Ormara and 380km southeast of Gwadar. The system is likely to track further west-southwestwards.
At least 24 people have reportedly died due to rain and wind-related incidents in the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan.
Rain related incidents
In Sindh, at least nine people lost their lives in rain-related incidents across the districts of Jamshoro, Dadu, and Mirpurkhas.
Over 30 individuals were injured as the downpour caused sewers to overflow, breached dykes, and destroyed numerous mud houses.
In a village in Toba Tek Singh, a man and his sister tragically died, while three other family members were injured when their house roofs collapsed during the heavy rains in the area.
Meanwhile at least two people were killed in Karachi including a 50-year-old woman, Shamim Bibi, who was killed when a tree fell on her near Baitul Mukarram Mosque on University Road in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
Another fatality occurred in Korangi’s Sector 51-C, where a 25-year-old man, Muhammad Sameer, was electrocuted while working at home.
In Balochistan, 13 people were swept away by flash floods in the regions of Loralai, Qila Saifullah, Duki, Harnai, and Jhal Magsi.
Officials reported that seven members of a family were carried away by floodwaters in Loralai, but they were rescued after five hours.
In the Alanbar area of Duki, five individuals were swept away while attempting to cross a seasonal stream. Four were rescued, but one remains missing. Another person is also missing in Jhal Magsi after drowning in floodwaters.
12 of a family died when the roof of their home collapsed due to a landslide induced by incessant rainfall in Upper Dir.
Meanwhile, at least 28 people have died this week from rain-related incidents in the Indian state.
