Cyclone nearing Karachi as rain lashes city

Widespread torrential rains, accompanied by cyclonic winds, lashed Karachi as Cyclone Phet nearing Karachi after passing the Makran coast and parts of central Makran.

The tropical cyclone brought heavy rainfall with gusty winds in Karachi and other parts of Sindh.

Cyclone Phet has been around 250 kilometers distance from Karachi Coast and can hit the western coast of the metropolis this evening, weather pundits said.

A system of heavy rains lashed Karachi from Saturday night ahead of the cyclone. The met department has forecast more rains in next 36 to 48 hours.

Navy personnel rescued six fishermen trapped in the cyclone two kilometers off Jiwani.

Hundreds of fishing boats were reported missing in Gwadar, Pasni, Jiwani and Peshkan areas.

Thousands were rendered homeless as hundreds of mud houses were washed away by heavy rains along the entire Makran coast. Although some people were shifted to relief camps, the authorities failed to reach others because of disruption of road links.

A large number of people took refuge on hillocks in Jiwani, Gwadar and Pasni after their homes were submerged.

Floodwater also entered the building of Radio Pakistan in Gwadar, disrupting FM transmission.

Gwadar was submerged by the unprecedented rain.

The town received more than 370 millimetres of rain.

Torrential rains were lashing the area up to Ormara, suspending traffic on the Coastal Highway. The highway was damaged at several points and a bridge linking Gwadar with Jiwani was washed away.