LAHORE – “Destructive” windstorms that raged across central and northern Pakistan after an intense heatwave killed at least 14 people and injured over 100 more, officials said on May 25.
Fierce winds, thunder and lightning swept across eastern Punjab and the north-western Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces as well as the capital Islamabad on the afternoon and evening of May 24, uprooting trees and downing electric poles.
While the majority of the deaths were caused by collapsing walls and roofs, at least two people died after being hit by solar panels dislodged by the whipping gusts.
One man was killed and three others were injured by lightning strikes.
Mr Mazhar Hussain, a spokesman for the Punjab provincial disaster management authority, told AFP that such windstorms develop because of excessive heat, which reached above 45 deg C in recent days.
“There were three to four days in the recent heatwave where temperatures went up quite a lot,” he said, announcing 14 deaths in Punjab and 100 injured.
“This windstorm was particularly destructive. The wind speed was very high. There was so much dust in it that visibility was greatly reduced.”
The Pakistan Meteorological Department predicted more storms on May 25.
Social media was on the evening of May 24 filled with videos of the damage the windstorms had unleashed.
A clip filmed inside a plane about to land in the Punjab city of Lahore showed passengers screaming in terror as the aircraft was tossed about by turbulence.
The plane was later diverted to Karachi.
Other videos show cars crushed by falling trees and roads blocked by debris.
Pakistan, one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, is grappling with increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
Islamabad experienced several usually rare hailstorms throughout April and May that damaged vehicles, smashed window panes and shattered solar panels.
Soaring temperatures in April and May are becoming more common in Pakistan, which usually sees summer begin in early June.
Temperatures reached near-record levels in April, as high as 46.5 deg C in parts of Punjab.
Schools in Punjab and Balochistan have announced early summer vacations because of the heat. AFP
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