A heartbreaking incident occurred at Karachi’s Do Darya on Thursday evening, where a man reportedly jumped into the sea with two young children, according to eyewitnesses and police sources.
Preliminary accounts suggest the man, estimated to be around 40 years old, first threw the children—believed to be between six and seven years old—into the water before leaping in himself. Rescue teams quickly launched a search operation, but efforts were halted after seven hours due to fading light.
Authorities have yet to confirm the identities of the man and the children. Sindh Chief Minister took notice of the incident, instructing local administration and police to intensify rescue operations and carry out a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Rescue efforts were resumed after Fajr prayers on Friday.
Cloud bursts causes flooding
Severe floods triggered by cloudbursts struck the Ghizer and Hunza districts in Gilgit-Baltistan, resulting in extensive destruction of infrastructure, agricultural assets, and natural resources.
In Ghizer’s Gupis Valley, heavy rainfall led to flooding in Khatam village, blocking the key Ghizer-Shandur Road. The torrent caused substantial damage to agricultural land and private property, affecting the livelihoods of local communities. Meanwhile, in upper Hunza’s Ghalapan village in Gojal, floodwaters destroyed a critical irrigation channel that supplied water to over 50,000 forest trees, according to local residents. The disruption of this irrigation system poses long-term risks to reforestation efforts and local ecology.
In response to the growing crisis, the regional government has designated 37 villages as calamity-affected. These include 12 villages in Diamer, nine in Gilgit, five in Ghizer, four each in Skardu and Shigar, two in Ghanche, and one each in Nagar and Kharmang. The declaration aims to mobilize emergency relief and facilitate rehabilitation efforts.
Preliminary estimates indicate that the floods have caused damages worth approximately Rs20 billion. Entire communities have been left devastated, with homes, roads, and public utilities severely affected. More than 500 homes have either been damaged or destroyed, along with vast tracts of farmland, road networks, and bridges. Both public and private infrastructure has suffered significant losses.
Tragically, the floods have claimed the lives of 10 individuals, most of whom were tourists visiting the region. An additional four people have been injured, and between 10 and 15 tourists are still missing. Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the affected zones to locate the missing and provide aid to those stranded or injured.
