KARACHI, July 28: Hundreds of vehicles broke down after getting stuck on roads submerged by rainwater following a torrential downpour in the city on Monday.

Major city roads, like Sharea Faisal, I.I. Chundrigar Road, Burnes Road, Garden Road, Soldier Bazaar and Nishter Road, saw traffic jams as many vehicles broke down.

A large number of motorists whose vehicles broke down pushed them to petrol pumps and other safe areas, and, leaving them there, walked home.

As rainwater accumulated on city roads, public transport almost disappeared, leaving commuters distraught. Cab-drivers and rickshaw-drivers took advantage of the inclement weather and asked passengers for exorbitant charges.

The few minibuses, buses and coaches that plied the routes during the rain were packed with passengers, some of them sitting on rooftops.

Hundreds of motorcyclists were seen dragging their bikes that had broken down in the rain. “My motorcycle broke down on Sharea Faisal between Star Gate and the Airport bridge in the waist-high rainwater. With great difficulty, I dragged the motorcycle out of water, found a mechanic, and got him to repair my bike.”

A motorist said that his car had broken down at the Nursery intersection where even pavements were submerged by rainwater.

A number of vehicles were stuck up in rainwater near Muslim Gymkhana on Aiwan-i-Saddar Road. They caused a traffic jam on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road and I.I. Chundrigar Road. Similar traffic jams occurred at Lucky Star in Saddar, Soldier Bazaar, SITE, M.A. Jinnah Road near Capri and Nishat cinemas.

The downpour turned the Hasan Square roundabout into a veritable pond of water where a number of vehicles broke down. Motorists were seen pushing their vehicles to safety.

The traffic police appeared helpless, for they could not drain out the rainwater and make the traffic flow smooth. They, however, tried to divert the traffic into alternative routes.

Abul Hafeez Jalandhari Road and the bridge on it connecting Gulistan-i-Jauhar with Rashid Minhas Road was submerged by rainwater. Another road in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, which links the airport and the ASF headquarters, was inundated with rainwater and remained closed for vehicular traffic, as the culvert built on a storm water drain had collapsed.

Traffic jams on the arteries mentioned above resulted in snarl-ups on other roads. Children stuck in traffic jams were seen crying bitterly. Poor visibility on the roads resulted in many accidents.