19 dead, more than 90 injured as hailstorm, rains ravage Pakistan

At least 19 people were killed and over 90 others injured as powerful windstorms and heavy rains battered several parts of Pakistan on Saturday, paralysing road and air traffic, damaging infrastructure and triggering widespread power outages, Pakistan's news media Dawn reports. 

Heavy rainfall accompanied by gusty winds and hail also struck Islamabad, leading to water accumulation in several low-lying areas and trees falling at multiple spots.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, strong winds and hailstorms caused extensive damage to crops and power lines but no fatalities were reported. Over 113 power feeders tripped across the province, with areas like Peshawar, Mardan, Khyber, Swabi, Swat and Abbottabad worst affected.

Meanwhile, a private airline from Karachi to Lahore narrowly avoided a disaster when it was caught in severe turbulence while landing at Allama Iqbal International Airport.

According to the data provided by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Punjab and Rescue 1122, three people died each in Lahore and Jhelum, two each in Sialkot and Muzaffargarh and one person each in Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Attock, Multan, Rajanpur, Hafi­zabad, Mianwali, Jhang and Layyah as the walls and roofs of the houses collapsed and trees fell on them.

About two dozen incidents of the fall of solar panels and billboards were also reported.

A PDMA tally issued at 10pm on Saturday put fatalities at 13 and injuries at 92. Separate incidents reported by Rescue 1122 and other sources added more deaths, pushing the toll higher.

The authority had earlier urged citizens and provincial authorities to remain on high alert.