More than 1000 people have so far died in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi due to soaring heat, say reports. The number of people killed due to the ongoing heatwave across Sindh province has gone up to 20.
The heatwave, worst in decades, has largely affected Sindh province. This has prompted the the provincial government to impose emergency across all hospitals throughout the province to deal with this unprecedented crisis. People are being encouraged to stay at home with government announcing the closures of educational institutions. The government had announced a public holiday on Wednesday.
More than 350 people died between just Tuesday and Wednesday with mercury touching 49 degree Celsius.
Karachi’s Jinnah Hospital’s head of emergency department, Dr Seemi Jamali told BBC Urdu that 279 people had died in her hospital alone. She said that around 160 people were still being treated in the emergency ward while 10 people’s conditions were said to be very critical.
Eidhi Foundation’s spokesperson Anwar Kazmi said that more than 500 bodies had been brought to their mortuary since Saturday and this number “exceeded the capacity of the mortuary.”
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other key organisations to arrange urgent assistance for the heatwave victims. The army has also been deployed to set up heatstroke relief centres and assist the NDMA,
(Photo: courtesy BBC Urdu)