March 1, 2024

Karachi on Friday received light to heavy drizzle as the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) predictions turned true with the weather witnessing a visible shift with more rains expected over the weekend. The city’s I. I. Chundrigar Road, Saddar, Sarjani Town, Malir, North Karachi, Korangi Industrial Area, Orangi Town, Baldia Town and Manghopir Northern Bypass are among the areas that witnessed rainfall so far on Friday. To ensure that the city’s residents do not face any inconvenience amid the downpour, the city’s Mayor Murtaza Wahab posted about the step being taken by the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC). “Apart from pumps, 53 of these suction vehicles have been moved to various locations for clearing rainwater as and when required,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The city’s mayor added that apart from traffic police, wardens have also been placed on major arteries to help ease the flow of traffic. It should be noted that the Sindh government, on Thursday, declared a rain emergency in the province and decided that offices in Karachi would be open for half a day today, viewing the forecast of heavy rains in the megalopolis. The provincial government also cancelled evening classes in schools today. The Sindh School Education and Literacy Department, in a notification, said all private and public evening shift schools would remain closed. Karachi mayor said the decision for the half-day was taken as an “abundant precaution”. He also requested citizens to avoid travelling unnecessarily to stave off any inconvenience. According to Pakistan Meteorological Department Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfraz, heavy rain is likely in Karachi’s Gadap, Sarjani and Malir. Light rain is recorded in some areas of Karachi, he added. “There is light rain in Gwadar today. Heavy spell of rain has left the city,” Sarfaraz said. The weather expert maintained that the spell of rain across Pakistan is likely to last till March 3. The expert said there is a possibility of heavy rain and snowfall in the upper regions for the next two days, while he warned the fishermen of Balochistan to avoid going into the deep sea till this evening. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1163137-light-to-heavy-drizzle-hits-karachi-as-city-braces-for-more-rainfall

A massive blaze in a six-storey shopping mall in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, has killed at least 45 people and wounded dozens. The fire, which struck Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall late on Thursday, started in a biryani restaurant on the first floor, with 13 units of firefighters battling for two hours to douse the flames. Doctors said most of the dead suffocated, with others dying as they jumped off the building. Dozens of people are being treated for burn wounds in two state-run hospitals. Brigadier General Main Uddin, a top fire service official, said that the fire could have originated from a gas leak or stove. “It was a dangerous building with gas cylinders on every floor, even on the staircases,” he told reporters. Relatives gathered at the hospital early on Friday to receive the bodies of the dead, with some mourning outside the emergency department. Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen told reporters that he expected the death toll to rise. Survivor Mohammad Altaf recounted his narrow escape. “I went to the kitchen, broke a window and jumped to save myself,” he told reporters, adding that a cashier and server who urged people to leave during the first moments had died later. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed shock and sorrow over the incident, ordering officials to provide swift treatment for the injured. The government has set up a five-member panel to investigate the incident. Inadequate safety measures Fires are common in densely populated Dhaka, where many new buildings have sprung up, many without adequate safety measures. Fires and explosions have resulted from faulty gas cylinders, air conditioners and poor electrical wiring. In July 2021, many children were among 54 people killed at a food processing factory outside Dhaka, while at least 70 were killed in a February 2019 fire that engulfed a centuries-old precinct. The garment sector has been subject to intense scrutiny since a fire in 2012 and a building collapse in 2013 that together killed more than 1,200 workers. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/1/at-least-45-people-killed-in-bangladesh-after-fire-starts-at-shopping-mall