Islamabad, June 09: Storms packing winds of more than 166 kilometres per hour hit parts of Pakistan early today, snapping a key power line and blacking out much of the capital and a sister city, officials said. No major damage or casualties were reported. The power line to Islamabad and the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi was cut when a tower carrying another line toppled over on it in the strong winds, said Ameer Hussein Chaman, Islamabad-based spokesman for the state-run power company, Wapda.

Wapda technicians worked throughout the day in an effort to repair the damaged line, he said, but by mid-afternoon, the power supply was still not functioning properly.
The storm swept through Islamabad, Rawalpindi and parts of northern Pakistan, dumping heavy rain in many areas. The winds kicked up dust in the plains of Pakistan's eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces.
The rain and winds also brought some relief from an intense heat wave that has brought temperatures as high as 53 degrees celsius to some areas, and has been blamed for nearly 200 deaths in Pakistan over the past four weeks.
In Islamabad, residents awoke to the sight of toppled trees and signboards. Malik Ghulam Qadir, a deputy director of the state-run Pakistan meteorological department, said the winds were the strongest in seven years.

Bureau Report