Karachi
\nCyclone Asna steered away from Pakistan\u2019s coastline on Saturday \u2014 lying about 370 kilometres away from Karachi \u2014 but residents of Balochistan\u2019s coastal belt still braced for expected rains brought by the weather system.
\nA deep depression (a very strong low-pressure area), which the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned on Thursday would bring widespread rainfall, intensified into Cyclone Asna on Friday.
\nAccording to a PMD alert issued at 8pm today, the cyclone over the west-central Arabian Sea off the Sindh coast has kept moving further westward during the past six hours and now lies about 370km southwest of Karachi, 250km south of Ormara and 260km southeast of Gwadar.
\n\u201cThe system is likely to track further west-south-westwards,\u201d the Met Office added.
\nIt said rain\/thundershowers with a few heavy falls, accompanied by squally winds of 60-70km\/hour were likely in Lasbella, Awaran, Ormara, Pasni, Gwadar, Jiwani, Turbat, Panjgur and surroundings till Sunday night.
\nThe PMD said heavy rains may create water logging in low-lying areas of Makran coast and sea conditions were likely to remain rough\/very rough till Sunday.
\nIt advised fishermen of Balochistan not to venture into the open sea till Sunday night while those of Sindh could resume their activities from tomorrow.
\nAccording to rainfall figures as of 3pm, it rained 39 millimetres in Karachi\u2019s Quaidabad, 24mm in Surjani, 18.4mm in Korangi, 17mm in North Nazimabad, 16.5mm in North Karachi, 16mm each at University Road and Jinnah Terminal, 15mm at PAF Faisal Base, 13mm at PAF Masroor Base, 12.4mm in Old Area Airport, 11.8mm each in Keamari and Gulshan-i-Maymar, 5mm in Gulshan-i-Hadeed, 4.2mm in Gadap and 1mm in Saddar.
\nMeanwhile, a young man died when a tree fell due to the heavy winds in the metropolis. Sindh Rescue 1122 official Hassaan Khan told Dawn.com that the tree was uprooted and crushed a man in FB Area, Block-16.
\nIn another incident, five people, including two physically challenged women, were rescued when a staircase of a delipidated building collapsed in Aram Bagh near Burhani Hospital.
\nThe Rescue 1122 official said that the staircase of the three-storey building was destroyed due to the impact of continuous rains. He said the Urban Search and Rescue Team of Rescue 1122 rushed to the spot and successfully rescued the five people.
\nAccording to an update on Zoom Earth at 8am \u2014 provided via the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) \u2014 Cyclone Asna was expected to minimally intensify to 85km\/h in around 12 hours and in 24 hours, a weakening trend will start.
\n\u201cWeakening to tropical depression strength is expected to occur in around two days,\u201d the JTWC was quoted as saying.
\nMet officials have described the formation of a cyclone in the monsoon season as a \u201crare phenomenon\u201d.
\n\u201cIt would be a rare event as cyclones are uncommon in the monsoon season,\u201d Chief Meteorologist Dr Sardar Sarfaraz said earlier.
\nHe said the cyclone would be the first in the Arabian Sea in August since 1976 and would get the name \u2018Asna\u2019 suggested by Pakistan. He added that regional cyclones were assigned names according to a list prepared by a 13-country panel, including Pakistan.
\nDue to the forecast of heavy showers and urban flooding warnings, schools in Karachi and Hyderabad were shut on Friday.
\nA ban on \u201cfishermen venturing into the sea, as well as on swimming, bathing, diving, and wading in the sea\/beaches and coastal areas\u201c of Karachi Division had been imposed from Aug 29 till Aug 31 (Saturday).
\nAbout two dozen people were killed on Friday across the country as heavy monsoon rains caused widespread devastation.
\nIn Sindh, at least nine people lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Jamshoro, Dadu and Mirpurkhas districts on Friday. More than 30 people were injured as the deluge ruptured sewers, brea\u00adched dykes and swept away countless mud houses.
\nIn Balochistan, two persons were missing after 13 people were swept away in flash floods in Loralai, Qila Saifullah, Duki, Har\u00adnai and Jhal Magsi areas.
\nIn the north, 13 of a family died when the roof of their home collapsed due to a landslide induced by incessant rainfall in Upper Dir.
\nMeanwhile, in India, where at least 31 people have died this weak from rain-related incidents, authorities evacuated more than 8,700 people from ten districts in the Gujarat state yesterday, officials said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Karachi Cyclone Asna steered away from Pakistan\u2019s coastline on Saturday \u2014 lying about 370 kilometres away from Karachi \u2014 but residents of Balochistan\u2019s coastal belt still braced for expected rains brought by the weather system. A deep depression (a very strong low-pressure area), which the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned on Thursday would bring widespread […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428361,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-428342","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n