Pakistan Heatwave: High temperature kill 65 people in Karachi

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In Pakistan, a heatwave gripping the region amid widespread power cuts has killed 65 people in Karachi. The state-run Meteorological Department was warning temperatures in Karachi could reach 44 degrees Celsius. Our correspondent Danial Khan has more.

DANIAL KHAN ISLAMABAD "The deadly heatwave in Pakistan is expected to continue for another three days, according to weather forecasters. Scores of people have died as the temperature in recent days has reached as high as 44 degrees Celsius, that's 111 degrees Fahrenheit."

The timing couldn't be worse. The intense heat wave comes with the start of the holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast and refrain from consuming food and liquids during daytime.

The Edhi Foundation, a charitable organization in Pakistan, runs Karachi's central morgue. It confirms that most of those who died were working class, both young and old, from poor neighborhoods.

Many of the victims reportedly worked outside and around boilers in textile factories.

Complicating the problem, parts of Karachi, a city of 15 million people, have experienced power outages up to 10 hours a day. The Sindh government says the number of deaths is exaggerated.

Meanwhile, health authorities and social media activists have called on people to stay inside and drink more water. An ad campaign is airing on television.

Three years ago, a heat wave killed more than a thousand people across the Sindh province. Danial Khan, CGTN, Islamabad.