More than 200 people were killed as torrential rain and thunderstorms lashed the Pakistani port city of Karachi, destroying hundreds of homes and causing widespread power outages on Sunday. Gale-force winds uprooted trees and power pylons and blew down roofs and walls, crushing and electrocuting scores of victims. Provincial health minister Syed Sardar Ahmed said 43 people were killed on Saturday and "the bodies of 185 more victims were identified today (Sunday)," taking the toll to 228.
He said another 200 people were injured, mostly in the suburbs. The Edhi Trust aid network also put the death toll at more than 200 as Karachi was deluged by 17.2 millimetres (0.7 inches) in just one hour on Saturday. Parts of the southern city saw sporadic rioting after a night-long power cuts caused by damage to the electrical grid.
The worst-hit area was the impoverished Gadap neighbourhood, where roofs of shanty houses collapsed on entire families, officials said. "We have recorded more than 500 houses destroyed or partially damaged due to thunderstorm," the town's deputy mayor Abdus Sattar Brohi, told AFP.
He said the nearby Gujro and Songal areas were also badly affected. Bodies wrapped in white sheets and plastic bags were seen lying at the mortuary of the Edhi Trust, which runs welfare homes and ambulances.
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http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Chaos_In_Karachi_As_Storms_Kill_228_And_Hundreds_More_Across_Asia_999.html
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