Pakistan: Residents of Sindh, Karachi brace for Cyclone Asna

Karachi [Pakistan], August 31 : Residents of Pakistan's Sindh province, including Karachi, are preparing for heavy rainfall as the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issued a warning that a deep depression, located approximately 120 kilometres southeast of Karachi, has strengthened into Cyclone Asna, The News International reported.
The storm is moving towards the Arabian Sea along the province's coast.
According to an advisory from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the Cyclonic Storm Asna over northeast Arabian Sea off Sindh coast has moved westward during the past six hours and now lies about 120 km south of Karachi and 180 southwest of Thatta, The News International reported."The system is likely to keep moving initially west-northwestwards and then west-southwestwards," the advisory stated.
The PMD further said that rain-thundershowers with heavy falls, accompanied with squally winds was likely in Karachi division, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allah Yar, Matiari, Jamshoro and Dadu districts of Sindh till August 31.
The PMD forecast similar weather conditions for Hub, Lasbela, Awaran, Kech, and Gwadar in Balochistan until September 1.
The Met Office warned that sea conditions are expected to remain "rough to very rough" and squally winds reaching speeds of 60-70 km/hr, gusting up to 80 km/hr. It also advised fishermen to avoid venturing into the sea until August 31, while those in Balochistan till September 1.
Earlier, the India Meteorological Department on Saturday issued a warning that the cyclone "Asna," a deep depression over the Arabian Sea, causing heavy rains in Gujarat, is likely to move West-Northwest over the Northeast Arabian sea and away from the Indian Coast during the next 24 hours.