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Power outages, waterlogging persist as Karachi reels after torrential rains
A day after heavy showers triggered urban flooding in Karachi and left at least 10 people dead, large parts of the metropolis remain without electricity, while waterlogging continues to disrupt life on major roads amid forecast of more torrential rains.
Power supply has yet to be restored in several neighbourhoods, including Gulistan-e-Jauhar Blocks 7, 13, and 18, Mehmoodabad, Akhtar Colony, Manzoor Colony, Defence View, and Malir Alamgir Society—despite more than 16 hours having passed since the downpour subsided.
K-Electric, the city’s sole power utility, said in a statement that its field teams remained actively engaged throughout the spell and that feeders were switched off only where safety precautions demanded.
“Restoration efforts continued undeterred despite significant waterlogging and congestion. Areas with high levels of stagnant water, particularly low-lying zones, were particularly affected due to restricted access and safety risks for residents and field teams,” the utility said.
Meanwhile, rainwater has yet to be fully drained from several major roads, including Tower, II Chundrigar Road, the FTC area, the PAF Museum on Sharea Faisal, and Safoora on University Road.
Water has also accumulated in Karachi’s Red Zone, Shaheen Complex, MR Kayani Road near the Arts Council, and Ziauddin Ahmed Road. As a result, one track of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road has remained closed to traffic since yesterday, while the Drigh Road and Nazimabad underpasses also remain shut.
Moreover, the Aiwan-e-Sadr Road near the Governor House is submerged with rainwater up to the police lines. Other affected areas include Kharadar, MA Jinnah Road, Bolton Market, and Jamia Sindh Madrasatul Islam.
‘Main roads largely cleared’
Speaking to Geo News, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said that while main roads had largely been cleared after the rains, drainage work was still underway in several waterlogged areas.
“Drainage efforts are continuing where rainwater has accumulated,” he said, noting that the city received over 235mm of rainfall—far exceeding its drainage capacity of just 40mm.
Wahab said that 3.024 million cubic feet of debris had so far been removed from storm drains, improving water flow and easing drainage across the city.
He acknowledged shortcomings in the drainage system but stressed the need for long-term solutions. “Basic steps are needed to expand drainage capacity, but this requires land and faces resistance from residents, making the task difficult,” the mayor said.
“Traffic is moving, but slows down where water remains on the sides of roads. Overall, the situation has improved compared to earlier in the day,” he added.
The mayor also confirmed receiving complaints about power outages in multiple neighbourhoods.
Over 550 feeders disrupted
Electricity supply has been disrupted to more than 550 feeders across the city, with some areas experiencing blackouts for up to 16 hours.
A K-Electric spokesperson said that power is currently being supplied through more than 1,550 of the city’s 2,100 feeders. The spokesperson explained that heavy rain had left many roads submerged, disrupting fuel deliveries and hampering access for repair teams.
However, residents told Geo News that several hours had passed since the rain stopped, yet no K-Electric teams had arrived to restore supply in their areas, leaving citizens distressed and helpless.
More torrential rains
According to the Met Office, strong monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are continuously penetrating the country, especially the southern parts. Under the influence of these meteorological conditions, widespread rain-wind/thundershower (with scattered heavyfalls at times very heavy) is expected in several Sindh districts, including Karachi, from August 19-22, with occasional gaps.
It is also expected in Mithi, Tharparker, Umer Kot, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Tando Allayar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Sanghar, Jamshoro, while at scattered places in Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpur, and Jacobabad.
The PMD added that torrential rains may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Sindh, including Karachi.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have released a major statement to mark a big day amid reports of new family tension at home.
According to royal expert Rob Shuter, Prince Harry is fuming over Meghan Markle’s decision to post new photos of their 4-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet, on Instagram.
Meghan’s tribute for International Day of the Girl might have won hearts online, but it reignited one of the couple’s oldest arguments — privacy.
Amid this development, Meghan and Harry shared a joint statement to mark the day.
They shared the statement via their Archewell Foundation.
They said, “Last year, in celebration of International Day of the Girl, The Archewell Foundation joined Pivotal Ventures and the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation to support a partnership between Girls Inc. and #HalfTheStory: an initiative designed to provide digital wellness programming for young girls in underserved communities across America.
“On this International Day of the Girl, The Archewell Foundation is proud to see #HalfTheStory continue to expand this work. Over the summer, #HalfTheStory, launched the New York State x #HalfTheStory Teen Tech Council, ensuring youth voices are represented in shaping what healthy educational environments look like in a digital age.”
They continued the Archewell Foundation uplifts organizations like #HalfTheStory, “today and every day”, that empower young people and young girls to shape their digital futures and to ensure that every child has the tools, confidence, and support to thrive both online and offline.
King Charles is reportedly in a difficult position after a newly uncovered email between Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein raised fresh concerns about the Duke’s past statements.
The newly discovered email was sent shortly after a photo was published of Andrew with Virginia Giuffre, which suggests he was still in contact with Epstein at a time despite claiming that their ties had ended.
Speaking on the matter, royal commentator Ingrid Seward said that the message paints a troubling picture of Andrew’s involvement with Epstein.
She told People’s Channel that the situation reflects poorly on the Duke of York and the royal family, putting King Charles in a tough spot.
“It’s very damning. And it just looks like he was in total cahoots with Epstein. And unfortunately for him and for the Royal Family, I don’t think this is the end of it, I think.
“There’s a lot more to come out. That’s the trouble. It’s an ongoing situation.”
The expert further noted that the email “just looks appalling for the Yorks,” adding that it puts pressure on Charles as “everyone’s asking” what he is going to do.
“Now, I think his hands are quite tied because – it is my opinion only – I don’t know this, but his mother obviously wanted Charles to look after Andrew,” she continued,
“The Queen knew that he was had a lot of problems and she must have entrusted his care to his elder brother.
“Because otherwise I can’t imagine that Charles wouldn’t have felt obliged to get Andrew out of there.
“But I think he’s tied between his mother’s wishes and his situation is as King and Head of State.”
HUAUCHINANGO: Standing near the lifeless body of her sister, Rosalia Ortega was grateful to have found her in the river of mud that suddenly swept away her house as torrential rains pounded her Mexican mountain town.
At least 47 people have died since Thursday as floods have wreaked a trail of destruction in the hardest-hit states of Hidalgo, Puebla, Queretaro and Veracruz.
“We’re sad, but at least we’re going to give her a Christian burial,” Ortega, 76, told AFP in the town of Huauchinango, in Puebla, a state east of Mexico City that according to official reports saw nine deaths and substantial damage.
The disaster zone is the Sierra Madre Oriental, a mountain range that runs parallel to Mexico’s east coast and is dotted with villages where telecommunications and other services have yet to be restored.
On Thursday, well after dark, a rain-swollen mountain river overflowed its banks in Huauchinango and within minutes robbed local residents of their homes and, in some cases, their loved ones.
That’s what happened to Maria Salas, a 49-year-old cook sheltering from the rain with an umbrella, watching two soldiers guarding the entrance to her neighbourhood.
Salas lost five relatives when their house collapsed, and her own home was destroyed by a landslide.
“I can’t get my belongings, I can’t sleep there,” she said. “I have nothing.”
The grieving families are struggling to pay for funerals and, if anything is left over, to recover something from lost or damaged homes.
Huauchinango, with 100,000 residents, is one of the largest communities in the disaster zone and one of a very few that could be accessed Saturday.
Rivers of mud
The floodwaters swept away everything in their path, forming heavy rivers of mud that even rendered intact homes unusable.
“It was knee-deep,” says Petra Rodriguez, a 40-year-old domestic worker whose house was surrounded by water on both sides.
She, her husband and two sons managed to escape, holding hands so that if the water took one of them, “it would take us all,” she said.
In another part of town, teacher Karina Galicia, 49, showed AFP her mud-damaged, musty house. She and her family were able to run out; had they not, “we would have been buried,” she said.
In less damaged houses, neighbours worked to remove water with plastic bottles, brooms and shovels.
Adriana Vazquez, 48, climbed a rough path strewn with stones and mud to see if anything was left of a relative’s house.
What she found was a jumble of wood and tin houses levelled by a landslide. Soldiers were using a backhoe to remove a pile of debris from the street.
Her relative “answered the telephone,” Vasquez said, but she could hardly hear anything and hoped that was due to a poor connection.
About 100 small communities are uncontactable due to road closures and power outages that have complicated telephone services and travel.
Mexico has been hit by particularly heavy rains throughout 2025, with a rainfall record set in the capital, Mexico City.
Meteorologist Isidro Cano told AFP that the intense rainfall since Thursday was caused by a seasonal shift and cloud formation as warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico rises to the mountaintops.
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