Islamabad, July 28, (dpa/GNA) – At least two people were killed in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday after heavy monsoon rains inundated several parts of the city where authorities called in army troops to help the civil administration address urban flooding.
A mother and her child died after the flood water entered the basement of a house in Islamabad’s E-11 area located at the foothills of Margalla Hills, a spokesperson for the capital’s police said.
The upscale neighbourhood of the city was hit by hill torrent early morning after 123 millimetres of rain that lasted for over two hours.
Television footage that showed floodwater sweeping away cars and the destruction it caused in E-11 was among the top Twitter trends in Pakistan.
“Army troops are busy in assisting the civil administration in rescue and relief efforts,” the military’s media wing ISPR said in a statement.
“Heavy rainfall is expected in the next three days,” Zaheer Babar, director of forecast at the Pakistan Met office, told dpa.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also cautioned citizens and asked all the relevant response agencies to be on “high alert” with ready and rapid emergency response actions.
At least 72 people have been killed so far in the country this month in rain-related incidents, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Flash floods, land erosion, cloudbursts, droughts and smog resulting in low air quality have been on the rise in Pakistan in recent years.
Climate experts say it is the impact of global warming, but also due to the country’s proximity to highly industrialized China and India.
GNA