Karachi residents braced for another spell of heavy monsoon rains on Thursday as schools remained closed and public hospitals functioned with reduced staff. Most offices were shut except essential services, with the Sindh government urging citizens to stay indoors. Yet, the city continued to reel under prolonged power breakdowns and rain-related tragedies.
So far, more than ten people have lost their lives in rain-linked incidents, the majority by electrocution. In one heartbreaking case, two brothers, Siraj and Murad, died after being electrocuted by an underground high-tension wire. Siraj was struck while out to buy groceries, and Murad was killed while trying to rescue him. Though passersby pulled them off the submerged road, Siraj died instantly while Murad succumbed at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Their father, Sultan, has filed an FIR against K-Electric’s CEO and officials at Shah Faisal Colony Police Station, demanding accountability under Sections 322 (manslaughter) and 268 (public nuisance).
Meanwhile, large swathes of Karachi continue to suffer long power outages despite intermittent gaps in rainfall. Residents of North Nazimabad Block A, Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 9, and Safora Goth Scheme 33 reported being without electricity for over 36 hours since Monday’s downpour. In other localities, including parts of DHA, Stadium Road, Saudabad, Ghazi Goth, and Ibrahim Hyderi, electricity remained cut for 22–28 hours, plunging neighborhoods into darkness and disrupting daily life.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of further heavy downpours, with scattered showers forecast from Thursday afternoon through Friday. Strong gusty winds are also expected, intensifying the risk of urban flooding and electrocution hazards. Chief Meteorologist Aamir Haider Laghari noted that the current system may weaken by late Thursday night and dissipate by Friday morning, though cloudy skies will linger through Saturday. Temperatures are forecast to hover between 28°C and 31°C, with high humidity compounding discomfort.
As Karachiites brace for another round of rainfall, the combination of fragile infrastructure, power breakdowns, and civic negligence has turned the monsoon into both a seasonal ordeal and a public safety crisis.
