KHUZDAR: The second highway connecting Sindh and Balochistan swept away in flash floods on Sunday night after the fresh spell of “vigorous” monsoon hit the province. The track is part of the M-8 Highway (Gwadar-Hoshab-Khuzdar-Ratodero) that serves the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The highway, from Khuzdar to Rato Dero, was closed from both sides as intermittent rainfall continues in the district which is one of the most affected areas in the resource-rich but backward province.

The incident occurred after the Met Office’s predicted that vigorous monsoon activity was expected in the coming days. Another low pressure was likely to approach Sindh on August 16, it said on Saturday

“A depression has developed in the Arabian Sea which is likely to move towards the west along Makran coast,” the Pakistan Meteorological Department said in its update. “Due to this weather system, monsoon currents are continuously penetrating southern parts of the country.”

The Karachi-Quetta Highway N25 was partially closed down on Saturday following flooding with the Lunda bridge in the Uthal area of Lasbela district shut down. The district management authority and the National Highway Authority had constructed a diversion track with the help of pipes, however, it got swept away in flash floods.

But, they have now allowed small vehicles to ply on the track, according to updates by Monday morning from our reporter Didar Ali in Hub.

Rains kill eight more people

Heavy rains have killed eight more people, bringing the total death toll to 196 in Balochistan, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority data showed. At least 81 people were injured. Further details of damages are as followed:

• 19,797 houses
• Over 107,000 animals killed
• 690km roads
• 18 bridges

Low-lying areas in Barkhan, Rakhni, Dera Bugti, Sherani, Dhanasar, Fort Munro, Koh e Suleman, Ziarat, and Qilla Saifullah have been flooded.