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Storms in Karachi kill 228 people Storms in Karachi kill 200 people
(31 minutes later)
Torrential rains and gale-force winds have led to the deaths of 228 people in the Pakistani city of Karachi. Torrential rains and gale-force winds have led to the deaths of more than 200 people in the coastal city of Karachi in southern Pakistan.
Forty-three people were killed by the storms on Saturday, while the bodies of another 185 were recovered on Sunday, a health official said. Some 43 people were killed by the storms on Saturday afternoon, while the other bodies were recovered on Sunday.
Dozens of people are said to have been injured as heavy winds brought down power lines and uprooted trees. Dozens more were injured as heavy winds uprooted trees and brought down power lines, electrocuting people.
Karachi residents were already suffering from power cuts which have led to riots in the city.Karachi residents were already suffering from power cuts which have led to riots in the city.
Aid workers say the combination of flooded roads and fallen power cables have caused the largest number of fatalities, the BBC's Shoaib Hasan says. The minister of health for Sindh province, where Karachi is located, had earlier reported that 228 people had been killed in the storms, but the province's governor later reduced the total to 213.
Karachi has received 17.7mm (0.7in) of rain since Saturday and more rain is predicted late on Sunday.
Most parts of the city have been without electricity for almost a day.
In India, heavy rain and floods have killed at least 45 people in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Hospital 'emergency'Hospital 'emergency'
Residents said that within minutes of the storm breaking Karachi's main road, Shahra-e-Faisal, was blocked by fallen debris, leading to accidents and traffic jams. Karachi residents said that within minutes of the storm breaking, the city's main road, Shahra-e-Faisal, was blocked by fallen debris, leading to accidents and traffic jams.
In pictures: Karachi chaosIn pictures: Karachi chaos
This caused many of the initial fatalities. Many of the fatalities were caused by the initial high winds. The rain followed and lashed the city for the next half hour.
The rain flooded much of the city and many shanty town homes were washed away, our correspondent says. It flooded much of the city and many shanty town homes were washed away, the BBC's Shoaib Hasan says.
People were also killed by fallen trees and sign boards blown down by the winds.
Other deaths were caused by roofs or walls collapsing from the rain.Other deaths were caused by roofs or walls collapsing from the rain.
The overburdened infrastructure of Pakistan's largest city could not cope with the onslaught, says the BBC's Barbara Plett.
Municipal workers have begun to clear up the debris, but Karachi is a long way from recovering and the electricity is still out in parts of the city, our correspondent adds.
The power grid has already been under terrible strain and another storm is brewing off the coast.
"We have declared an emergency at all government hospitals and cancelled the vacations and leave of doctors and paramedics," AFP news agency quoted Syed Sardar Ahmed, health minister for Sindh province, as saying."We have declared an emergency at all government hospitals and cancelled the vacations and leave of doctors and paramedics," AFP news agency quoted Syed Sardar Ahmed, health minister for Sindh province, as saying.
The storms came after summer temperatures touched 40C in Karachi. The storms came after temperatures reached 40C (104F) in Karachi.
Angry residents staged street protests after having to spend the night without power to run fans or air conditioners.
Every year thousands of people are killed and hundreds of thousands made homeless across South Asia by months of monsoon rains.


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