Record-breaking rain claims four lives in Lahore

LAHORE: Heavy rainfall, which broke a 44-year-old record, claimed four lives in the provincial capital, officials said on Thursday.

According to details, at least six people lost their lives as torrential monsoon rain inundated the country. The heavy spell submerged roads, hospitals and homes as sanitation staff struggled to remove rainwater from the streets.

The Met Office warned of persistent weather conditions noting Thursday’s rainfall was the first of a six-day spell of torrential monsoon rains across the country.

The downpour also affected hospitals as rainwater entered the emergency department and other wards of the Services Hospital, General Hospital, and Mayo Hos­pital, destroying medicine and equipment stored in the hospital. The parking lot of the General Hospital was also inundated.

The situation was further compounded due to power outages as 410 feeders of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) tripped due to the downpour. In some areas of the city, power had not been restored till 8pm when this report was filed.