At least three children lost their lives and more than 30 people were injured as heavy rainfall wreaked havoc in Lahore on Friday, damaging several houses and collapsing roofs in some areas.

Rescue officials said a roof-collapse incident reported at 10:16am in the Kahna area claimed the lives of the three children. One of them died on the spot, while two were critically injured who were taken to a nearby hospital but couldn’t survive.

Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, in a statement, expressed sorrow over the death of the three minors and sought a report into the incident from the authorities concerned.

According to Rescue 1122, five roof-collapse incidents were reported in total in which three children died and seven others injured.

The incidents were reported in Wahga Village, Jhodhu Village Raiwind, Old Kahna Main Bazar and Chamra Mandi.

In addition, at least 25 people were injured in 52 road accidents caused by rains across the Punjab capital.

Meanwhile, the chief minister directed authorities to drain out rainwater “as soon as possible”. He also called upon officials to take measures for ensuring smooth traffic flow across the city.

Met officials said the rain started at 7:07am and continued till the afternoon. The maximum rainfall was recorded in the Lakhsmi area at 138 millimetres, followed by Tajpura 117mm, Farrukhabad 109mm and Pani Wala Tailab 99mm.

Azhar Mashwani, the Punjab chief minister's focal person for digital media, shared a rainwater clearance report on Twitter, saying the majority of the areas had been cleared.

Power supply disrupted

Heavy rain also severely affected Lahore's power transmission system, with more than 220 feeders of the Lahore Electricity Supply Corporation (Lesco) having tripped.

Officials at the power utility said the heavy rain also caused difficulties for ground staff in carrying out maintenance work.