Quetta, June 26 (AP): Ten people drowned and thousands fled to higher ground today as a tropical cyclone lashed Pakistan’s coastline with heavy rains and high winds, officials said.

At least three small boats were reported to have sunk and 18 fishing boats were missing as the navy sent a warship and two helicopters to scour the rough seas in search of vessels caught up in the storm. Cyclone Yemyin hit parts of the coastline of Baluchistan province at about noon with winds of up to 91 km an hour, said Qamaruz Zaman, director-general of the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

Rain-swollen rivers flooded several coastal districts, killing at least ten people, including four children, said Raziq Bugti, spokesman for the provincial government. Spillways were opened to release the water pressure on two dangerously full dams, he said. Officials said the storm's intensity was decreasing and would subside by evening, but not before dumping heavy rains that could last through the night.

Located on the same Arabian Sea coastline, Karachi suffered torrential rains and thunderstorms, which killed at least 228 people on Saturday. Warnings of coastal flooding prompted many to flee in panic. Most of the 120,000 residents of the southwestern port city of Gwadar moved to higher ground, mayor Abdul Ghaffar Hoth said. People from several smaller towns nearby loaded possessions onto camels or into cars and headed for the hills, he said. “We have imposed an emergency in the district and asked the army and other forces to be on alert,” he said.