Pakistan Storms Cause Multiple Fatalities and Injuries

Severe storms in Pakistan, following a period of intense heat, have resulted in at least 32 deaths and over 150 injuries in the past week. Officials announced five additional fatalities on Friday.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa disaster management authority reported that on Thursday, five individuals, including a child, perished in various districts of the province due to intense rainfall and high winds.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department forecasts that adverse weather conditions will persist across northern and central regions of the country until Saturday.

Earlier in the week, powerful windstorms led to 10 deaths on Tuesday and 14 on Saturday in different areas of Pakistan, a nation highly susceptible to climate change and increasingly affected by extreme weather phenomena.

A senior official stated that three children died on Wednesday in Hyderabad, located in the Sindh province.

Most casualties resulted from collapsing structures, such as walls and roofs. However, at least two individuals died after being struck by solar panels that were dislodged by strong gusts of wind.

Pakistan experiences fatalities annually due to severe storms, but their frequency has been notably high this month.

The heatwaves experienced in May followed an unusually warm April and a particularly dry winter season.

May’s temperatures soared up to six degrees Celsius above average, exceeding 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) at their peak.