Eight children among 27 killed in Pakistan due to heavy rains and strong winds

At least 147 people injured in several rain-related incidents

File. A man (L) along with a youth use a satellite dish to move children across a flooded area after heavy monsoon rainfalls in Jaffarabad district, Balochistan province, on 26 August 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

Death toll from heavy rains and strong winds in northwest Pakistan rose to 27 on Sunday as Cyclone Biparjoy approaches the country.

Eight among the 27 dead were children, local media said.

“At least 12 people were buried alive after the roofs and walls of their houses collapsed,” Taimur Ali Khan, a provincial disaster management authority spokesperson told the media.

The storms hit four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan late Saturday, with 15 people killed in the Bannu district, including five siblings aged between two and 11, the Dawn reported.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) also said that at least 147 people were reportedly injured in several rain-related incidents.

Climate Minister Sherry Rehman said the gusty winds and heavy rainfall in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunwala were a cause for concern and expressed grief over the lives lost.

Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered officials to put in place emergency measures in advance for Cyclone Biparjoy, likely to cause flooding and rainstorms in low-lying areas of Karachi and Sindh province, local reports said.

Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority [NDMA] on Sunday urged people to stay away from shorelines as Cyclone Biparjoy approaches.

According to Radio Pakistan, the officials have banned entry to the beaches in Karachi as Biparjoy gathers strength.

Pakistan’s Meteorological Department [PMD] said that the cyclone had intensified into an “extremely severe cyclonic storm”. It said the cyclone was at a distance of about 760km south of Karachi, 740km south of Thatta and 840km southeast of Ormara, according to local reports.

Karachi authorities have also ordered the removal of billboards, similar signages and weak trees as rains could make them a danger resulting in “loss of precious human lives and damage to properties”.

In neighbouring India, many Indian states have been put on alert ever since Cyclone Biparjoy intensified into an “extremely severe” storm.

According to the India Meteorological Department [IMD], the storm has been undergoing “rapid intensification”. Coastal areas of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, and Kerala are set to experience high-speed wind and harsh weather.

Additional reporting with agencies.