Seven people went missing after a rickshaw and two other vehicles were swept away in the swollen Konkar stream in Gadap Town late on Tuesday night. Police arrived at the scene immediately after the incident and called in rescue teams, but the operation had to be suspended due to the strong currents.
On Wednesday morning, the Edhi Foundation launched a large-scale rescue effort. During the lengthy operation, the bodies of four individuals, including a woman, were recovered and taken to the Gadap Town police station.
Three others remain missing as the search continues. According to the police, the deceased have been identified as Gulab, 60, his wife Nabu, 58, their son Raja, 45, and Javed Shah, 40. All were residents of Gadap Town.
Gadap Town SHO Sarfaraz Jatoi said that during the heavy rains on Tuesday night, multiple vehicles were swept away by the raging Konkar stream, resulting in seven people going missing. Four bodies have been recovered so far, while the search for the remaining victims is ongoing.
Scheme 33 flooded
Continuous rainfall caused the water level at Thado Dam to rise by approximately 4.5 feet, leading to an overflow late on Tuesday night. The floodwater entered Gadap City and spilled onto the M-9 motorway. To divert the water, a section of the motorway wall was breached, allowing the flow to cross the M-9.
However, the floodwater subsequently entered several residential societies in Scheme 33, including Saadi Town, Saadi Garden, Sumaira Villas, Income Tax Colony, Khan Muhammad Goth and the surrounding localities. This situation created a flood-like emergency, causing financial losses for residents, while many families were left stranded inside their homes.
Meanwhile, the increased flow in the Malir and Lyari rivers also severely affected nearby residential areas, damaging property and disrupting daily life. Reports indicated that the heavy current in the Malir River partially damaged Shahrah-e-Bhutto.
Body found
Police recovered the body of an unidentified man, approximately 60 years old, from the sea near Manora Salehabad Jaba Jetty within the Mauripur police limits.
The body was taken to the local police station and later moved to the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth. No belongings were found with the deceased to help establish his identity.
Youth electrocuted
An 18-year-old man died from electrocution in a shop near a private bank in Block C, North Nazimabad. According to a Chhipa spokesperson, the body was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.
The deceased was identified as Ahmed Abdul Qadir. After confirming his death, the family refused to allow any police formalities and took the body with them.
M-9 reopened
The M-9 Super Highway has been reopened for all types of traffic, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the National Highways & Motorway Police (NHMP), South Zone, Karachi.
The spokesperson said there is no standing water on either M-9 or the Lyari Expressway. People are urged to avoid unnecessary travel during the ongoing rains, with NHMP patrols and rescue teams on duty to ensure public safety.
On Tuesday night, traffic on M-9 was disrupted after floodwater from Thado Dam overflowed onto the motorway. The NHMP spokesperson said the overflow also reached their South Zone office and the nearby residential areas, as the office is situated on low-lying land with no water outlet.
However, officers had already secured all official vehicles, records and equipment, and no loss of life or property was reported. Out-of-service vehicles parked at the premises for an upcoming auction were also unaffected, as they contained no usable equipment. “All patrolling vehicles of the motorway police remain on the roads, performing duties as usual.”
Flood advisory
In the light of the flood-like situation caused by heavy rains in Karachi, the traffic police chief issued an advisory to transporters on Wednesday. According to the advisory, floodwater from Balochistan can enter the city at any time through the Northern Bypass (Super Highway), giving police only an hour’s notice to alert residents.
According to the key instructions issued for transporters, only vehicles carrying essential goods may proceed, while all other vehicles should remain parked at factories or warehouses, with normal operations expected to resume on Thursday (today).
According to the traffic diversion plan, vehicles travelling from Karachi Port to Port Qasim may use the Mai Kolachi to Clifton to Zaman Town route after midnight.
All traffic from Hyderabad will be diverted from the new link road to the National Highway via Shahrah-e-Bhutto towards Karachi Port. Outbound traffic will be lined up at the Northern Bypass, and no heavy traffic will be allowed through District Central towards Sohrab Goth or the Super Highway.
Drivers are instructed to follow all police instructions and signals, travel only on permitted routes, and cooperate responsibly with the traffic police. For updates, commuters are advised to call the helpline 1915, tune in to FM 88.6 or follow the traffic police’s social media pages.
Published in The News on September 11, 2025.