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Official: Death Toll from Pakistan Heatwave Exceeds 700

Official: Death Toll from Pakistan Heatwave Exceeds 700
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Local Editor

The death toll from a severe heatwave hitting Pakistan's southern Sindh Province had risen to over 700, with medics struggling to treat patients as a state of emergency was in place in hospitals.

Official: Death Toll from Pakistan Heatwave Exceeds 700

Local media outlets quoting Pakistani officials said the figure has climbed to over 740, adding that the number of fatalities might rise further.

Most of the deaths were reported in the port city of Karachi, the country's largest city and its commercial hub, where the temperature reached 45 degrees Celsius [111 Fahrenheit] on the weekend.

Over 3,000 patients had been treated in the Post-Graduate Medical College Hospital, Karachi's largest, doctor Semi Jamila said.

Pakistan's largest charity, Edhi Welfare Organization, said their two morgues in the city had received more than 400 corpses in the last three days, with Edhi spokesman Anwar Kazmi adding, "The mortuaries have reached capacity."

According to the state-run water utility, the power outages have crippled the water supply in Karachi, hampering the pumping of millions of gallons of water to consumers.

On Tuesday, temperatures remained at around 44.5 Celsius in the city, with Pakistan's Meteorological Office forecasting thunderstorms for the evening.

"Due to a low depression developing in the Arabian Sea, thunderstorms will likely begin this evening and might continue for the next three days," a Meteorological official said.

Pakistani officials also said seven people had died from the heat in the eastern province of Punjab over the past 24 hours.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has issued special instructions to the National Disaster Management Authority [NDMA] and other relevant organizations to provide urgent assistance to heatwave victims.

Hence, the deaths come a month after neighboring India suffered a similar heatwave, which claimed more than 2,000 lives.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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