LAHORE, March 11: Widespread rain lashed most parts of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, NWFP and Northern Areas on Sunday, bringing the temperature down by three to five degrees Centigrade. The Met office has forecast more rain during the next 48 hours.

With the exception of Swat, which witnessed 10 deaths, and Karachi where one person was electrocuted, no rain-related incidents were reported from any part of the country.

However, the rains did have their usual effects on the civic infrastructure in most parts of the country.

While experts see positive effects of the rain on the standing crops, the wheat crop in Sindh is said to have been damaged.

According to weathermen, rains were caused by a westerly system that developed over Afghanistan. On moving into Balochistan, the system sucked moisture from the Arabian Sea. From Karachi, it curved towards north-northeast, covering the plains of Punjab. The system was already causing rain in the Northern Areas.

The system entered Punjab from Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan in the morning, causing considerable amount of rain there.

In Lahore, light rain started in the afternoon with brief intervals. It turned heavy at around 8pm and continued till late at night. The power supply was disrupted in many areas, causing a great deal of inconvenience to people.

The day's maximum temperature in the city remained 20 degrees Centigrade as against 24 degrees Centigrade on Saturday.

Karachi received moderate-to-heavy rain which began in the morning and continued intermittently till late into the night. A hailstorm also occurred in the areas adjoining the Boating Basin. Besides an incident of electrocution, the civic life came to a halt as the rainwater flooded all roads and streets. The rain also caused frequent power breakdowns and delays in arrival and departure of trains. Commuters experienced problem due to the absence of public transport.

Tahir Baloch, 21, a resident of Bashir Village along Rashid Minhas Road, was electrocuted by a snapped wire.

Southern Punjab received moderate to heavy rain which proved beneficial for its standing wheat crop.

Till 5pm, Dera Ghazi Khan received the highest amount of rain, 27mm, followed by Bahawalpur 22mm, Multan 13mm, Bahawalnagar and Shorkot 9mm each, and Rahim Yar Khan 2mm.

Malam Jabba received 23mm of rain, Dera Ismail Khan 19mm, Saidu Sharif and Kallat 16mm each, Lasbela 14mm, Bannu, Dir and Quetta 13mm each, Karachi Masroor 14mm, Karachi airport 10mm, Muzaffarabad 8mm, Balakot, Garhidupatta and Hyderabad 6mm each, Sialkot, Khanpur, Islamabad, Pattan and Peshawar 5mm each, Sibbi and Jacobabad 4mm each, Lahore airport, Sahiwal, Murree, Kohat and Peshawar 3mm each, Okara 2mm, Noorpur Thal, Lahore city, Turbat and Khuzdar 1mm each, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhang, Drosh and Sargodha trace.

Our Swat correspondent adds: Seven people were buried alive as persistent rain brought down the roof of a house in Amankot, near the Mingora town of Swat.

According to officials and witnesses, the family of one Mian Mohammad had guests in their house. While the guests and hosts – eight in all – were having dinner, the roof of the house collapsed.

While seven people got killed, Rafiullah, head of the guest family, was retrieved in an injured condition and taken to a nearby hospital. The victims of the host family were identified as Mian Mohammad, his wife and two sons Gul Ahmad and Irfanullah. Rafiullah’s wife, daughter Habiba and son Sanaullah were also killed.

In another incident, according to APP, Haji Mohammed, Ali Mohammed and Rashid, all sons of Sahibzada, were hit by an avalanche while moving in the mountainous Ghat Bareeth area on the outskirts of Mingora. Haji Mohammad was killed on the spot while the other two received critical injuries.

Besides, Adnan Bacha, 13, and Rahim Shah, 10, died on slipping from the roof of their houses while flying kite.

Peshawar Bureau Adds: Most parts of the Frontier province and its adjacent tribal areas continued to receive rains for the second day on Sunday, while the mountainous areas received snowfall overnight.

The minimum temperature in Peshawar was 13 degrees Centigrade while the maximum was 16.

Sporadic rains were also reported from the southern parts of the province where the weather turned cool, forcing people to wear warm clothes.