UPDATES DEATH TOLL; CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE; ADDS MORE DETAILS, EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Torrential rains and flash floods continued to lash Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi, killing at least 23 people and injuring several on Wednesday, officials and local media reported.
At least 15 people were killed due to roof and wall collapse incidents in different parts of the city, Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon told reporters. The remaining lost their lives due to electric current, and drowning, he said.
The latest casualties have shot up the death toll to 35 over the past three days, Memon added.
The fresh rain spell submerged the city's major thoroughfares and low-lying areas, forcing the administration to call in the army and paramilitary Rangers to rescue the stranded people in several localities.
The massive downpour struck Karachi on Tuesday night, lasting for the next 20 hours with short intervals.
Heavy rains flanked by gusty winds also triggered landslides, power outages, and downed trees and utility poles in many areas.
Hundreds of vehicles were seen stuck in the middle of the submerged roads as people waded through knee-deep rainwater to reach their destinations.
The city received 130-millimeter rains until Wednesday evening, with total 484-millimeter in August.
According to the meteorological department, dowpours in August have shattered 89-year-old records for the city.
Official statistics said some 45 people have been killed since the ongoing spell struck the city Aug. 6.
Footage aired on the local broadcaster Dunya News showed armed forces personnel and civilian rescue agencies' workers using rubber boats to rescue the stranded people in the northern and western districts of the port city, which according to Meteorological Department, has received 120% more rains in August compared to the last year.
Authorities have appealed to the citizens to say indoors as more rains are expected during the next 24 to 48 hours.
At least 122 people have been killed and over 40 others injured during the ongoing monsoon spell since June across the country, according to the National Disaster Management Authority, a state-run coordinating agency.
