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Heat wave leaves 130 dead in Pakistan's Karachi

Xinhua, June 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

Devastating heat wave has killed at least 130 people over the past 36 hours in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, officials said Monday.

Provincial health secretary Saeed Mangnejo said the 130 people died at various hospitals after suffering from heat strokes in the city, where mercury has raised as high as 45 degrees Celsius.

He said hospitals have been receiving patients of heat stroke since Saturday night in the mega city, capital of the Sindh province.

Talking to media, Dr Seemi Jamali, the Medical Superintendent of the state-owned Jinnah Hospital said over 85 people suffering from heat stroke were pronounced dead at her hospital since Saturday.

She said most of the deceased were men aged 50 or above, adding that over 30 people were brought dead at the hospital while the other 55, who were in critical condition, died in the hospital during treatment.

A total of 45 people died at other state-owned hospitals including 30 in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, nine in Lyari General Hospital and six in the Civil Hospital Karachi.

Doctors at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital said most of the patients were brought to the hospital unconscious, suffering from high grade fever while the others told the medics that they collapsed suddenly during the sizzling day and suffered extreme breathing problem.

Doctors said the death toll is feared to rise as patients of heat stroke are keep being shifted to hospitals on Monday.

The provincial health minister said there might be some patients of heatstroke at some private hospitals, but no major causality figure has been reported from there yet.

He said most of the victims of the heat stroke came from the poor neighborhoods of the city, living in small houses and working in the sun as daily-wage laborers.

He said a state of emergency has been imposed at all hospitals in the city.

Pakistan's Meteorological Department said the city would not see any let-up on Monday as temperature is expected to climb up to 44 degree Celsius.

The met office said the heat wave is likely subside on Tuesday as the monsoon rain is expected to enter the province on Monday night which will result in downpours in Karachi and other cities. Endi