KARACHI, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Heavy rain and strong winds left at least 
18 people dead in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi, city authorities and 
rescue services said on Thursday.

Thirteen people died when a wall collapsed on Wednesday, while five people, 
including two women, were killed elsewhere in the city.

"According to initial reports, the deceased were drug addicts who had taken 
shelter in the building due to the rain," the Rescue 1122 emergency service 
said of the 13 victims.

Light to moderate rain fell across Sindh province, of which Karachi is the 
capital, but was heavier in some areas, meteorologists said.

Rain in March is common in Punjab province in east-central Pakistan but 
unusual in Sindh, which is in the southeast.

"This kind of extreme weather event hasn't happened for a long time," 
Pakistan Meteorological Department's senior official Ameer Hyder Laghari told 
AFP.

Pakistan, where 45 percent of people live below the poverty line, is among 
the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with limited resources 
dedicated to adaptation.

While South Asia's seasonal monsoon brings rainfall that farmers depend on, 
climate change is making the phenomenon more erratic.

Last year, monsoon rains in Pakistan killed more than 1,000 people.