At least 23 dead in Karachi as heavy rains hit Pakistan
According to local media, most of those killed were electrocuted. The army has stepped in to aid with rescue and relief efforts in the massive city.
At least 23 people have been killed in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, after heavy monsoon rains hit the sprawling metropolis overnight, officials said on Thursday.
The deaths were the latest in a monsoon season that has so far killed more than 1,200 people across the region encompassing India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
The army steps in
Karachi’s deluge came a day after India’s financial centre, Mumbai, was hit with floods that killed 14 people.
Karachi’s city administration requested army assistance, including water pumps, after the heavy overnight rains, the military said in a statement.
Pakistan’s military was delivering aid to the city where main streets were flooded, cars abandoned and hundreds of people have been forced to flee their homes.
The private charity Edhi Foundation, which runs ambulances and medical centres, said it had confirmed 13 people dead and 350-400 houses inundated near the Lyari River.
Countries in the region suffer frequent flooding during the June-September monsoon season, but international aid agencies say things have been worse than normal this year.
