Noting that 235 millimetres of rain occurred in only Manghopir in 12 hours yesterday, Wahab stressed that Karachi’s nullahs had a capacity of 40mm so rainfall above that would result in a spillover effect. He asserted that a nullah situated in the Nursery area was fully functional and had no blockage.

Rescuers and residents resumed searching on Tuesday for survivors as the death toll from five days of torrential rain rose to almost 400, with authorities warning monsoon downpours would continue until the weekend.