Pakistan: Monsoon rains cause death and destruction in Balochistan

Balochistan [Pakistan], September 2 (ANI): Heavy monsoon rains have caused death and destruction in Balochistan, with at least five people killed and hundreds displaced. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued warnings for further rain and landslides in several regions, reported Dawn.
Meanwhile, cyclonic storm Asna has weakened into a deep depression, but its impact is still being felt in northern districts, including Chaman, Qila Abdullah, Harnai, and Qila Saifullah. The storm is currently located approximately 320 km northeast of Masirah Island in Oman, 340 km east-southeast of Muscat, and 370 km south of Gwadar.
Flash floods have destroyed homes, washed away link roads, and cut off access to the provincial capital, Quetta.
"The link roads in these districts have been washed away by flash floods, cutting off all road connections with the provincial capital, Quetta," a senior official from one of the affected districts told Dawn.
In a tragic incident on the Sibi-Harnai road, a couple was found dead after their car was swept away by flash floods while attempting to cross the seasonal Beeji streams. The bodies were recovered by residents; the man was identified as Muhammad Ibrahim Khajak, an employee of the livestock department, reported Dawn News.
In Zhob, a child drowned, and two more deaths have been reported in the flood-affected areas of Harnai and Qila Saifullah over the past 24 hours. The situation in Jhal Magsi remains dire, with more than a dozen villages submerged and rescue operations hindered by inaccessible roads.
Additionally, a large breach in the Rabi canal in Nasirabad district has led to further flooding, inundating several villages and destroying link roads.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Quetta has forecast rain and thundershowers across various districts, including Quetta, Zhob, Sibi, and Sherani, from Monday (today) through Wednesday, with occasional breaks.
Sea conditions are expected to remain rough to very rough, with stormy winds ranging from 40-50 km/h, gusting up to 60 km/h, until Sunday night. Fishermen in Balochistan are advised to avoid venturing into the open sea until Monday.
The PMD has also predicted rain and thundershowers in northern regions, including Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Murree, Galyat, and Lahore, from Monday and Tuesday. A moist current from the Bay of Bengal is expected to affect these areas, and a westerly wave is likely to approach the western parts of the country later today, Dawn reported.
Wind and thundershowers, with isolated heavy falls, are anticipated in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, and Abbottabad, on Monday and Tuesday.
Rain, wind, and thundershowers are also expected in Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpur, Dadu, Jacobabad, Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, and Tando Allahyar on Tuesday and Wednesday. (ANI)