• At least 19 dead and dozens injured in Karachi storm
• Buildings collapse and trees topple amid strong winds

The city of Karachi was hit by a severe storm on Wednesday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds that killed at least 19 people and injured dozens more, after walls and roofs collapsed in various parts of the city, local officials and media reported.

The downpours and intense winds struck the coastal city Wednesday evening and continued for several hours, uprooting trees, damaging infrastructure, and disrupting traffic and emergency services, according to hospital and rescue officials.

Initially, 15 bodies were taken to Karachi’s main hospital, while more than twenty people were treated for injuries caused by the extreme weather, said police surgeon Sumayya Tariq and rescue officials.

The death toll later rose to 19 as the storm intensified, with multiple incidents reported across the city.

Officials said some of the fatalities resulted from collapsing buildings and walls under the force of the strong winds and rain. In the Moach Goth area of Baldia Town, rescue teams recovered 13 bodies from the rubble of a collapsed building.

In separate incidents, two people—including a woman—were killed when a wall collapsed in the Majid Colony Blandi neighborhood, while others were injured.

A man was also killed after being struck by lightning near Yaro Goth in the Malir River, another woman died when her roof collapsed, and a man was killed after a tree fell on him.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department reported winds reaching 90 kilometers per hour, with gusts up to 97 km/h in the Mauripur area.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab urged residents to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel, warning of falling trees and ongoing road clearance operations.

The storm also caused widespread power outages across several parts of the city.