NAWABSHAH:
Powerful winds reaching speeds of up to 95 kilometres per hour, accompanied by a dust storm and rain, swept across parts of Shaheed Benazirabad and neighbouring Naushahro Feroze districts on Tuesday night, killing 11 people, including women and children, and injuring dozens of others.
The storm caused widespread destruction, uprooting trees, toppling electricity poles, snapping 11kV transmission lines, and damaging commercial installations, while bringing down signboards, solar panels and weak structures in its path.
Shaheed Benazirabad bore the brunt of the storm, which killed nine people and injured more than 50 in the district. Several walls, including the boundary wall of Airport Police Station, collapsed under the force of the winds, while dozens of rooftop solar installations were blown away and destroyed.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the storm generated winds of up to 95 kilometres per hour, triggering extensive damage across the district. Initial reports indicated that collapsing signboards, makeshift structures and weakened buildings caused most of the casualties and injuries.
Rescue officials said emergency teams worked throughout the night in different parts of the district, shifting dozens of injured people to Peoples Medical University Hospital Nawabshah and to health facilities in Qazi Ahmed, Daur and Sakrand.
Hospital authorities confirmed that 32 injured persons were brought to Peoples Medical University Hospital, where 22 were provided first aid and discharged, while 10 remained under treatment. Rescue 1122 officially confirmed four deaths, while district authorities reported differing casualty figures.
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Samad Nizamani said an emergency was declared across the district immediately after the storm struck. Leave for medical staff was cancelled, and healthcare personnel were directed to report for duty to deal with the emergency situation.
The deputy commissioner initially confirmed six deaths and more than 50 injuries, stating that four victims died at Peoples Medical Hospital, one at Taluka Hospital Qazi Ahmed and another at the Rural Health Centre in Daur. However, hospital and police sources later confirmed that the death toll had risen to nine.
The deceased were identified as Khanoon Mehr, Majeed Bhund, Rani Kaloi, Allah Bakhsh Khaskheli, Najaf Mehr, Chaneesar Mehr, Umair Abbasi, the seven-year-old daughter of Khabar Khoso, and the wife of Pyaro Mari. More than 50 injured were admitted to hospitals in Nawabshah, Qazi Ahmed, Daur and Sakrand.
The storm also crippled the district’s electricity network, with more than 11 feeders tripping and several power lines suffering extensive damage. Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) officials said restoration work on damaged feeders and transmission lines had entered its final stages.
HESCO Nawabshah Circle Superintendent Engineer Gulzar Dasti said repair teams had been working on an emergency basis since Tuesday night to restore power supply and claimed electricity had been restored across the city. He appealed to residents to cooperate with field teams.
Residents, however, disputed the utility’s claims, maintaining that electricity remained unavailable in many localities for nearly 30 hours. They complained that prolonged outages had left homes without drinking water and created difficulties for worshippers, with several mosques also facing water shortages.
Deputy Commissioner Nizamani visited Zero Point to review HESCO’s restoration efforts and directed officials to expedite the resumption of electricity supply in all affected areas. Authorities said data on both human and financial losses was still being compiled as assessments continued across the district.
The severe weather system also affected neighbouring areas. In Moro, Naushahro Feroze district, two people, including a woman, were killed and five others injured after solar panels and large signboards were blown down by strong winds and collapsed onto pedestrians and bystanders.
The Meteorological Department recorded 6mm of rainfall in Shaheed Benazirabad during the past 24 hours and forecast mainly hot and dry weather across most districts of Sindh in the coming day, although isolated rain and thunderstorms were reported in some northern and north-western parts of the province.
(WITH INPUT FROM APP)
