Several people hurt as buses collide on Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway; army called in as water level surges in Nullah Lai     

Debris of the collapsed wall in Islamabad's Golra Mor, on July 19, 2023. — Geo.tv via Ahmed Subhan 

ISLAMABAD: Separate rain-related incidents killed 13 and injured several others in Islamabad on Wednesday as incessant downpour batters the federal capital and adjoining Rawalpindi.

As per Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), nearly 200 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in Rawalpindi today after the monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea intensified as forecast by the Met Department.

Police said that 12 people were killed when the wall of an under-construction bridge came crashing down on them near Golra Mor, Peshawar Road in Islamabad.

They said the wall was 100-foot wide and 11-foot high, under which the labourers had set up a tent to live at the construction site.

The rescue teams reached the site of the incident as soon as they received the report, Rescue 1122 officials stated.

Police said that the rescue workers pulled bodies out from the wall's debris with the help of machines. Search for more people likely to be stuck under the rubble is underway, with four being rescued alive so far.

Meanwhile, an 11-year-old girl was killed in a similar wall collapse incident in Mohammadi Town within the jurisdiction of Khana Police Station of Islamabad.

In a separate rain-related incident, several people were injured when two buses travelling via Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway barreled into each other after losing control due to a slippery road amid a downpour.

Rescue 1122 said that their teams are working to aid the injured while the severely injured are being shifted to hospitals in Wah Cantt and Taxila.

As per Met Department, Shamsabad received up to 188 millimetres of rainfall. It poured up to 129 milimetres in Bokra, 102 in Golra, 93 milimetres in H-8 area, 72 milimetres in Chaklala, and 37 milimetres in Saidpur.

The water level in Nullah Lai near Katarian swelled to 14 feet and 11 feet near Gawalmandi due to incessant rains, with army troops called in for rain emergency services. 

Authorities rang sirens of threat to alert the residents in the surroundings and advised them to stay cautious. Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 has also been alerted in Rawalpindi.