By DPA
Islamabad : At least 17 people were killed and dozens of others injured in the aftermath of heavy rains in central Pakistan that broke a prolonged hot spell, which left more than 285 people dead across the country earlier this month, news reports said Monday.
Torrential rains and sporadic cloudbursts Sunday inundated low-lying areas in many cities of the Punjab province, including its capital Lahore, leading to collapse of shabby structures, the Urdu Daily Express said.
A nomadic woman and her two children were killed when the weakened wall of a house fell on their straw shack in Lahore.
Two children were electrocuted in the city of Jhang, 200 km southwest of Lahore, when they tried to save their grandmother who got an electric shock as she touched a metallic door.
A couple of people also died of lightning strikes and snakebites.
Gusty winds uprooted a large number of trees and billboards, causing injuries to passers-by, while some motorcyclists also sustained injuries when their vehicles skidded on the wet roads.
Power outages in the wake of intermittent rains also led to public nuisance.
Monsoon rains in Pakistan have been forecast for the end of June, with the meteorological authorities predicting more than average rainfall.