Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, was cut off from the rest of the nation on Friday as the relentless rains continued to pelt the city. However, after being down for about 24 hours, communication services throughout the city were restored.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) tweeted that the affected data and voice services in Balochistan have been restored.
The company’s optical fibre line was destroyed, the telecommunications regulator had earlier reported, as a result of flash floods and excessive rain.
According to the PTA, there have been issues with voice and data services in Quetta, Ziarat, Khuzdar, Loralai, Pashin, Chaman, Panjgor, Zhob, Qila Saifullah, and Qila Abdullah. Rescue attempts were delayed by the city’s air and land routes, as well as by the heavy overnight rains that also disrupted internet and cell phone connection.
Flights to and from Quetta’s airport were also halted due to the collapse of a vital railway bridge linking Quetta to other regions of Pakistan. Early on Thursday, a railway bridge near the Mach region in the Bolan district fell, interrupting trade with Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan, according to a Pakistan Railways official.
The official continued, “Authorities have started measures to rebuild the bridge that was built by the British in 1885.”The city government issued a flood alert and advised residents to call 03368186794 and 03361187348 in case of emergency due to the quickly deteriorating situation. Unfortunately, since there had been no electricity since the previous night, it was impossible to contact police officers or civil administration at the provided phone numbers.
According to PDMA (Pakistan Disaster Management Authority) official Faisal Tariq, hundreds of people were left stranded after heavy rains caused flooding; however, rescue attempts to transport people to safe locations were in progress. Women and children are among the at least 500 individuals who are stuck in floodwater. Houses, businesses, and workplaces have been affected by the flooding.
