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Monsoon rains kill 12, paralyse Pakistan's Karachi
Karachi, Aug 1, 2006 At least 12 people died and dozens were injured after monsoon rain flooded streets and brought down electricity cables in Pakistan's largest city Karachi, officials said Tuesday. There were also fears of disease outbreaks in the city of at least 12 million people as drinking water pipes have been contaminated by drain water, health official Naushad Sheikh told AFP. "According to reports we have received, at least 12 people have died in Karachi during the last 48 hours in different rain-related accidents," Sheikh said. Three people were electrocuted by power lines that fell during the downpour and four others drowned in storm drains and floods, the private Edhi Welfare Trust said. Karachi, Pakistan's teeming commercial hub and a major port on the Arabian Sea coast, was brought to a standstill on Monday due to flooded roads. Pumps were installed in several area to clear the flooding but frequent power cuts caused by the rain's effect on the creaking electricity network hampered the effort. On Tuesday most of the roads were opened for traffic, but the meteorological department has forecast another spell of widespread rain and isolated heavy showers in Sindh province during the next 24 hours. The rain also washed away part of a railway bridge Sunday which cut the main line between Karachi and northern Pakistan. Buses were linking Karachi to Hyderabad, 160 kilometres (100 miles) to the northeast. Torrential rain in Pakistan has killed at least 30 people in the past two weeks and caused widespread damage to crops, roads and triggered landslides. Areas devastated by last October's South Asian earthquake are among those hit. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Dirt, rocks and all the stuff we stand on firmly
Garbage could trigger Philippines blast
Manila, Aug 1, 2006 A Philippines official on Tuesday warned that more than 100,000 people living on a paved-over Manila dumpsite were at risk of a possible methane blast due to the garbage rotting under their homes. |
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