Pakistan heatwave kills 65 people in Karachi

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A heatwave has killed 65 people in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi over the past three days, a social welfare organization the Edhi Foundation said on Tuesday.

The heatwave has coincided with power outages and the holy month of Ramadan. Temperatures hit 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) on Monday, local media reported.

114 bodies were brought to the foundation's morgues in the city's Korangi and Sohrab Goth areas in the past three days, out of which at least 65 had died from heatstroke, Faisal Edhi told local media, the head of Edhi Foundation that operates morgues and an ambulance service in the country.

A boy reacts as he receives a spray of cold water, to avoid the intense heatwave, at a stall, setup by a social welfare organization in Karachi, Pakistan, May 22, 2018. /VCG Photo‍

Edhi said most heatstroke victims had died at home without getting any medical help on time, adding that the youngest victim was six-years-old while the oldest one was 78.

However, local health authorities denied the claim. Sindh province's Health Secretary Fazlullah Pechuho told the English-language Dawn newspaper that no one has died from heatstroke.

Men and children cool off from the heatwave, as they are sprayed with water jetting out from a leaking water pipeline in Karachi, Pakistan, May 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

“Only doctors and hospitals can decide whether the cause of death was heatstroke or not. I categorically reject that people have died due to heatstroke in Karachi," Pechuho was quoted as saying.

Pakistan Meteorological Department issued a heatwave warning for Karachi saying that the hot weather is expected to stay between 40 to 43 degrees in daytime throughout the week.

Local reports said that Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar also urged residents to stay indoors during the day to avoid heatstroke.

The provincial government has assured residents that there would be no repeat of 2015 and was working on ensuring those in need of care receive rapid treatment.

A severe heat wave in 2015 killed at least 1,200 people, mostly elderly, sick and homeless mainly in Sindh province in southern Pakistan.

Source(s): Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency