RAWALPINDI: Five people were killed as thunderstorm hit the twin cities on Wednesday.

As many as 28 people were injured in various incidents during the storm in Rawalpindi while 14 injured were brought to Pims from Islamabad.

According to rescue services, a house belonging to Mohammad Zaman collapsed while Zaman and his family were still inside. Zaman and two women were trapped in the debris, and the victims were moved to the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) where they were pronounced dead. The HFH deputy medical superintendent also reported that 28 others were brought to the hospital after being injured in various incidents.

Metro bus stations damaged, BBIA plunged into darkness by winds of over 150kmph

Four incidents of collapsed walls were also reported in the downtown areas.

Talking to Dawn Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Captain Mustaq Ahmed confirmed two deaths in Islamabad. However, details not available.

Unusually strong winds and heavy rainfall hit the twin cities on Wednesday night, bringing down mercury levels while damaging metro bus stations on the elevated road in Rawalpindi. Sign boards and trees were knocked over, and lightning also caused a fire at Sabzi Mandi, the I-11 fruit and vegetable market. The fire was controlled by the fire brigade.

A Met Office official told Dawn that the speed of the windstorm was reported to be 140km per hour (70 knots) at 8:15pm which reached over 150km per hour by 8:22pm. The windstorm brought the temperature down from 40 to 31 degrees Celsius.

When asked about prior warnings, the official said it was routine for such a storm to occur in the evening in the summer.

“Although we did inform people that a windstorm will occur on Wednesday according to routine, we were expecting it for Thursday noon,” he said. The official added that the intensity of the windstorm could only be reported a few hours earlier.

“Wind entered from the northwest into the upper parts of the country, and will produce more rainfall in the next 24 hours,” a Met official said. He added that the strong winds lasted over an hour, which was unusual, since typically wind blows for less than half an hour.

He said that the heating system did not usually prevail for more than three to four days in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, but continued for nine days this week, which led to the dust storm.

“The rain, accompanied by strong winds, will occur in upper parts of the country in the next 24 hours including in Fata, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – in the Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Kohat, Mardan and Bannu divisions- Islamabad, upper Punjab – in the Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Lahore and Faisalabad divisions- Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and in a few places in the D.G. Khan, D.I. Khan, Quetta, Zhob and Multan divisions,” he said.

Metro bus stations damaged

The weather damaged glass panes at metro bus stations on the elevated road from Saddar to Faisalabad, and electricity poles, billboard and trees fell along Murree Road, Peshawar Road and Jhelum Road.

Traffic signals on the Mall were also damaged.

“Teams have been formed to check the damage in various parts of the city and other districts in the division,” Rawalpindi Commissioner Azmat Mehmood told Dawn.

He said there were reports of damage to the metro bus station, and the Punjab Metro Bus Authority would prepare a report of their damage.

The Metro Bus Authority general manager, Uzair Shah, confirmed that glass panes at the stations on the elevated road from Saddar to Faizabad were damaged and said the bus services was halted for a few hours after the winds.

He said a tree near Faizabad and Shamsabad fell on the bus station, but no loss of life or property was reported. Mr Shah added that teams were making reports on the damage, which would be completed on Thursday.

Electricity supply interrupted

For residents of the garrison city, Wednesday was also a day without electricity, the supply of which was suspended from 11.30am to 7.30pm – before the start of the thunderstorm – in Westridge, Allahabad, Misrial Road, Pirwadhai and Ratta Amral.

After the storm, there was a complete shutdown of electricity between 8pm to late at night.

When asked about load shedding during the day, Islamabad Electric Supply Company Rawalpindi Superintendent Mohammad Kaleem said a fault developed in the 132 KV main line connected with Pirwadhai, the Golra Mor circle and adjoining areas and was repaired in the evening.

“After the thunderstorm, electricity poles fell at Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA), Gulistan Colony, Ayub Park and other areas and it took over four to five hours to restore the electricity in the city,” he said.

BBIA

Four flights were also diverted while BBIA was plunged into darkness after electricity poles located close to the entrance gate collapsed, and heavy electrical wires fell on vehicles parked below at around 8:05pm, according to a spokesperson for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority.

She said PCAA employees and other experts were at the site to clear the entrance and restore power, but while efforts were underway electricity was not restored until late Wednesday night.

However, a duty terminal manager told Dawn that electricity was being provided at the airport through generators.

According to airport authorities, flight operations at BBIA were also disturbed. Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-212 from Dubai was diverted to Lahore, as were two domestic flights PK-352 and PK-370, arriving from Quetta and Karachi, respectively. An Air China flight was kept on hold for some time before it too was diverted to Lahore.

Due to the thunderstorm, the wireless communication system of the police was disturbed when its antenna collapsed at Police Lines. Police checkpoints on Airport Road, Jhelum Road and other parts of the city were also damaged during the storm, but no security or police official was reported injured.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2016