• 100,000 killed by lightning in the 52 years between 1967 and 2019 in India as number of strikes rise sharply
• 34% rise in lightning strikes across India in 2020-21 over previous years, leaving 1,697 dead

Farms inundated and crops 'wiped out' from floods

NSW Farmers Association President James Jackson says several farms have been inundated and their crops have been "wiped out" by the floods devastating NSW.

He said about $1 billion worth of produce comes out of the Sydney basin.

"There will be impacts on production out of those areas going forward for sure," he told Sky News Australia.

Pakistan: Flash Flood Kills At Least 25 As Monsoon Rain Inundates Balochistan Province

At least 25 people have been killed, including six women from the same family, after seasonal monsoon rains caused flash floods that wreaked havoc in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Wednesday, prompting authorities to declare an emergency in Quetta district.

Director-General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Naseer Ahmad Nasar said all the deaths were due to rain-related incidents in various parts of Balochistan.

"We have also had many incidents of people being injured in the heavy rains," he said.

There are fears that the death toll could go up as several people are still reportedly missing due to flash flooding in remote areas of the Balochistan province, according to the PDMA.

Nasar said that more than 300 mud-walled houses were damaged in Quetta district.

The dead included six women from the same family in Quetta. They were killed when the wall of their makeshift house collapsed due to rain and strong winds, officials said.

According to family members, two women succumbed to injuries as there were no arrangements to get them hospitalised, the Dawn newspaper report said.

Three women and four children were also killed when houses collapsed on the outskirts of Quetta.

The Balochistan government has declared an emergency in Quetta district. Several districts of Balochistan province have received heavy downpour accompanied by strong winds over the past 24 hours.

The bodies of two girls were also recovered in Quetta as they drowned in a deep pond in Bhosa Mandi area on Tuesday night, officials said.

Two women were killed in Dasht area in Mastung district when a wall of their house collapsed, they said.

In Kech districts, three children drowned in a seasonal stream in the Mand area close to the Pakistan-Iran border.

Five coal miners were also swept away in a seasonal nullah.

However, the locals saved two of them, while three others drowned in the gushing waters.

Heavy rains have hit parts of Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Sibi, Ziarat, Harnai, Barkhan, Loralai, Lasbela, Kohlu, Dera Bugti, Awaran, Noshki and Chagai districts where the local administration has stepped in to provide relief measures.

Floods triggered by seasonal monsoon rains wreak havoc in Pakistan every year, killing hundreds.

Balochistan rain death toll reaches 53

The death toll in rain-related incidents reached 53 on Thursday night as 10 more people lost their lives, while Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the civil administrations launched a massive rescue and relief operation across Balochistan.

"We have received 53 dead bodies since the start of heavy rainfall in Balochistan," an officer of the provincial emergency operation cell said. He said 47 people suffered injuries as a result of heavy rainfall and flash floods unleashed by rains. The officer revealed that 18 women and 16 children were among the dead.

Most of the casualties were reported from Quetta, Barkhan, Dera Bugti, Pishin, Zhob, Dukki, Kohlu, Harnai, Sibi and Lasbella. Heavy rainfall wreaked havoc on Quetta's Link Badini Road, in Kharotabad, Pashtoonabad, Nawan Killi, Sariab Road and other poor neighbourhoods of the city.

Rains damaged dozens of small bridges in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan. Videos widely shared on social media showed dams and bridges being swept away in floods.

"We have ordered the deputy commissioners concerned to assess the damages," Mir Ziaullah Langove, the Balochistan home minister, said. He said the government was aware of the difficulties of the masses.

Army and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel assisted the PDMA and civil administration during rescue and relief operations throughout the province. Pakistan Army personnel were seen rescuing people trapped in Gwadar, Killa Saifullah, and other parts of the province.

Heavy rainfall and floods have left thousands of people homeless in Balochistan. Most people are still in desperate need of support. "The government should practically launch relief operation instead of using just words," Fazalur Rehman, a tribal elder from Pishin, said.

He said flash floods unleashed by heavy rainfall have swept away most of the bridges and small dams in the district. "The government should compensate the people for their human and financial losses," he demanded.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast heavy rains across the country on Eidul Azha, warning that there is a major possibility of flooding in low-lying areas and landslides.