• 19 dead, over 90 injured in Punjab
• Road, air travel disrupted; walls and roofs collapse, infrastructure damaged
• Widespread outages reported from parts of country
• Crops, power lines damaged in KP; 113 feeders trip across province

ISLA­M­ABAD / LAHORE /PES­H­­­­­A­WAR: At least 19 people were killed and over 90 others injured as powerful windstorms and heavy rains battered several parts of the country on Saturday, paralysing road and air traffic, damaging infrastructure and triggering widespread power outages.

Heavy rainfall accompanied by gusty winds and hail also struck Islamabad, leading to water accumulation in several low-lying areas and trees falling at multiple spots.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, strong winds and hailstorms caused extensive damage to crops and power lines but no fatalities were reported. Over 113 power feeders tripped across the province, with areas like Peshawar, Mardan, Khyber, Swabi, Swat and Abbottabad worst affected.

Meanwhile, a private airline from Karachi to Lahore narrowly avoided a disaster when it was caught in severe turbulence while landing at Allama Iqbal International Airport.

According to the data provided by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Punjab and Rescue 1122, three people died each in Lahore and Jhelum, two each in Sialkot and Muzaffargarh and one person each in Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Attock, Multan, Rajanpur, Hafi­zabad, Mianwali, Jhang and Layyah as the walls and roofs of the houses collapsed and trees fell on them.

About two dozen incidents of the fall of solar panels and billboards were also reported.

A PDMA tally issued at 10pm on Saturday put fatalities at 13 and injuries at 92. Separate incidents reported by Rescue 1122 and other sources added more deaths, pushing the toll higher.

The authority had earlier urged citizens and provincial authorities to remain on high alert, according to a . report.

PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia directed deputy commissioners and rescue agencies across Punjab to remain alert amid reports of wind and rain in various districts of the province, the authority said in a statement.

Motorway Police closed several motorways, including sections of M2, M3 and the Lahore-Sialkot route, due to safety concerns. Severe weather and low visibility were reported on parts of the M4 and M5, while thunderstorms disrupted travel across highways linking Lahore to Multan and beyond.

Power infrastructure was also hit hard, with Multan’s power utility Mepco confirming faults across south Punjab’s grid, leading to temporary blackouts in Multan, Khanewal, Vehari and Sahiwal.

The Water and Sanitation Agency in Lahore reported full mobilisation of machinery and pumps to clear underpasses.

According to the PDMA report, most deaths in Punjab occurred due to the collapse of dilapidated houses and being in unsafe locations.

In Sheikhupura, the roof of a factory collapsed due to strong wind, killing a worker from Sadiqabad and seriously injuring five others, the state-run Pakistan Television reported.

Several mud and dilapidated houses were also damaged due to the storm. There were also incidents of falling trees and damage to solar panels in Lahore.

District Officer Rescue 1122 Sibghatullah told Dawn that a labourer died after a wall of an under-construction house in Sood Gangal on Kallar Syedan Road collapsed due to the strong winds. The deceased was identified as Imtiaz Yaqoob, 52.

Scores of people were also injured in Taxila, Lahore High Court Road, Adiala Road, Peshawar Road, Chakri Road, Kotha Kalan, Rawat, Gujar Khan and Chakri near the motorway, he said.

In another incident, a man died after the wall of his house in Fauji Colony, Pirwadhai, collapsed. Naseebullah, 60, was seriously injured in the incident and was shifted to the hospital but could not survive.

In Attock, a child was killed and six others, including a woman and her daughter, were injured.

According to Rescue 1122, the Grade 2 student, identified as Mohammad Hassan Shahbaz, was killed when the wall of his house collapsed in the Mithial village, within the limits of Jand Police Station.

Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed announced that medical assistance would be provided to the injured people, the PDMA said.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast more rain and thunderstorms across Punjab and KP on Sunday, including in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Peshawar and Mardan.

Strong winds and hailstorms also caused extensive damage to crops and power lines in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but no deaths were reported.

The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) said that more than 113 feeders across the province tripped due to the windstorm. The power utility said that the 19 feeders tripped each in Peshawar and Mardan, 13 in Khyber, 30 in Swabi, 13 in Swat, 15 in Abbottabad and four in Mansehra.

The Peshawar cantonment experienced power outages spanning several hours after the windstorm. Sources told Dawn that the cantonment power supply was underground and Pesco staff had to seek permission from military authorities to start rehabilitation work.

Other severely affected areas included Mingora, Amankot, Rahimabad and Qambar, where residents faced immense difficulty commuting and accessing essential services. Citizens called upon the authorities to expedite drainage and relief efforts to prevent further damage.

In Mingora, Swat, flash floods from overflowing drains inundated homes and disrupted daily life, forcing students to sit exams in complete darkness due to outages.

According to the Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature in the Swat valley dropped to 20 degrees Celsius due to the rain and hailstorm.

Rain and hailstorms in the Ambar and Pandiali tehsils of Mohmand district damaged crops, causing losses to the farmers.

According to initial reports, several slum houses were damaged and trees were uprooted in remote localities; however, no loss of life was immediately reported, official sources confirmed.

Moreover, a heavy windstorm followed by light rain disrupted proceedings on Saturday, the second day of the ongoing Tablighi Ijtema in the Baffa area.

The congregation, which began on Friday, has attracted hundreds of thousands of participants from across Hazara, Gilgit-Baltistan and other parts of the country. The organisers expect an even larger turnout on Sunday, the final day when special prayers will be offered.

Meanwhile, a windstorm followed by light rain also affected life in other parts of the Hazara division.

Meanwhile, a private airline flight FL-842 from Karachi to Lahore narrowly avoided a disaster when it was caught in severe turbulence while landing at Allama Iqbal International Airport. The pilot aborted landing and safely returned to Karachi following air traffic control instructions, Geo News reported.

Passengers, shaken by repeated jolts, refused to re-board after landing in Karachi. Airport sources said 57 passengers cancelled their travel plans, delaying the flight’s re-departure.

At least two other flights to Lahore were diverted to Karachi due to poor visibility, while departures were delayed until weather conditions stabilised.

As the storm subsided, operations at Lahore airport resumed, with flights PK-305 and PA-405 eventually departing for Karachi.

Aamir Yasin and Ikram Junaidi in Islamabad, Imran Gabol in Lahore and Manzoor Ali in Peshawar contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2025