QUETTA: At least six people, including two women and three young girls, were killed and over a dozen people injured in rain-related incidents in Balochistan on Monday.

Heavy rains with strong winds started in many areas of the province in the afternoon. According to sources, five people were swept away by floodwater.

They said dozens of mud houses collapsed as heavy rains with thunderstorm lashed Quetta, leaving many trees and electricity poles uprooted. The provincial capital and its surrounding areas were plunged into complete darkness after 33 of 72 feeders of the Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) went out of order.

Qesco officials said that some feeders were closed by the company itself due to heavy rains and strong winds.

According to the Met office, northern and central parts of Balochistan will receive more heavy rains with thunderstorms.

Low-lying areas of Quetta were badly affected where floodwater entered in houses, resulting in the collapse of mud houses while makeshift houses of nomads were swept away in the flash flood coming from nearby mountains.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, four deaths were reported in the Sariab area of this provincial capital where a house collapsed. The dead include two women and also a baby while two small girls drowned in the floodwater in the Eastern Bypass area. Police said that five women were injured when the wall of a house in Sariab Customs area collapsed late evening.

In Sariab Mills area heavy food swept away four persons who were trying to rescue a car which stuck up in floodwater.

A large number of people living in mud and makeshift houses rendered homeless as their houses collapsed or washed away. The Badini Link road, Eastern Bypass and slam areas were badly affected due to flood caused by heavy rains.

According to reports, five mine workers were swept away by floodwater in the Gashtri area of Much in Bolan district. The workers were trying to cross the seasonal Nullah.

Levies personnel and other rescue workers were making efforts to find five missing people who were identified as Hasil Khan, Meral, Khan, Fazil and Hussain Bakhsh.

Traffic on the Quetta-Sukkur national highway was suspended as the local administration of Bolan district closed the highway for traffic due to heavy rains in Quetta, Kolpur and Bolan areas.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2022