LAHORE, June 17: Widespread pre-monsoon rain in Punjab and the NWFP on Sunday brought a welcome relief from the week-long spell of sizzling heat.

However, the rain caught the people unawares and a number of tragic incidents were reported. A woman and her two children died when a wall collapsed in Lahore and one died from electrocution in Sahiwal.

The rain in Lahore, which began in the early hours of the day, inundated many low-lying areas in the city.

The local Met office recorded 73mm of rain at its Jail Road observatory and 41mm at the airport. The maximum temperature was 29 degrees Celsius. The sky remained overcast after the rain and hundreds of families were seen visiting parks, gardens and recreational places.

Light to moderate rainfall was recorded in Jhang (37mm), Sargodha (24mm), Sahiwal (23mm), Mianwali (12mm), Okara (3mm), Sialkot (2mm), Faisalabad (1mm), Muzaffargarh (39mm), Garhidupatta (6mm) and Skardu (3mm).

Chief Meteorologist Shaukat Awan attributed the rain to the incursion of extra moisture from the Arabian Sea, which went up to New Delhi and Murree. There was also a weak westerly system over the Northern Areas but it did not contribute much to the rain. “It is the hallmark of the pre-monsoon weather conditions,” he said, adding that the same pattern with occasional rain would continue till the onset of monsoon in the first week of July.

The monsoon was on its track, he said, forecasting above-normal rains in the eastern districts of the country, normal in western districts and below normal in central and western districts during the season.

There could be a spell of heavy rain during the monsoon, he said and expressed apprehensions about flash floods and landslides in the Northern Areas, Kashmir and the NWFP.

There could also be high flood in the river Chenab, he said.

Our Mansehra correspondent adds: The areas of the NWFP affected by the 2005 earthquake received heavy rain, bringing the temperature down.

The rain began in the evening and was continuing till the night, causing landslides and blocking links roads in Naran, Kaghan and Konsh valleys. The sewerage system was choked in Mansehra town and rain sewage flowed on the roads and streets.

COMPENSATION: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani has announced a compensation of Rs100,000 for each death caused by rain and flash flood in Baidara village of Swat district and Rs50,000 for the injured, APP adds.