MIRPURKHAS: Lightning killed a woman in Kaloi town and a teenage youth in a village near Mithi as heavy rain coupled with thunderstorm and strong winds hit Tharparkar, Umerkot, Badin and Mirpurkhas districts and some other parts of Sindh on Wednesday.

High-velocity winds uprooted many hoardings, signboards and trees and blew away a number of makeshift huts.

The rain brought down temperature and made weather pleasant to the great relief of people who had suffered severe heat for past two months. Children and youths came out onto flooded streets in Mirpurkhas town and waded through rainwater to enjoy the rain.

Almost all low-lying areas, roads and streets were inundated.

Growers who were already protesting shortage of water in tail-end areas of the district and demanding end to rotation programme expressed joy at the rain which they said could not be more timely as it would greatly help their chilli, cotton and other crops. It continued raining heavily for half an hour but apart from peoples’ joy at the rain it left the city in darkness as power supply had been stopped to save people from the dangers of a dilapidated system.

MITHI: A bolt of lightning killed 13-year-old Dileep Thakur in Vere Dhansal village near the town and a woman, Safoora Loond, 45, in Kaloi town as heavy rainfall and gusty winds lashed Chhachhro, Islamkot and Mithi towns and their adjoining areas on Wednesday.

Farmers were overjoyed at the rain as most of them had already prepared their land when the area had received its first showers about three weeks before, and sown traditional crops in hope of more rains.

UMERKOT: It also rained in Umerkot town and its adjoining areas but luckily there was no damage from the strong winds and thunderstorm.

The rain equally soaked almost all villages and towns in the district including Samaro, Pithoro, Kunri, Dhoronaro, Chhor, Meghar, Bhojrajyo and other areas.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2020