KARACHI (Web Desk) – Over 940 people have died in the last four days as a result of a severe heat wave in Karachi. Sindh government has imposed a state of emergency at all hospitals, cancelling leave for doctors and other medical staff and increasing stocks of medical supplies, doctors.
The Edhi Welfare Organisation has said their mortuaries had received hundreds of corpses and were now full.
Officials have been criticised for not doing enough to tackle the crisis.
The Sindh government announced public holiday for today (Wednesday) across the province. According to a circular issued from office of provincial information minister, holiday has been announcement in view of burgeoning power crisis, intense heat wave and protracted spans of loadshedding in Karachi.
Spokesman for the Jinnah Hospital Dr Javed confirmed that the hospital received 279 bodies in the last 4 days. Liaquat National Hospital sources confirmed 25 deaths. Out of 50 patients admitted at the Qatar Hospital, 32 lost the battle for life. Ziauddin Hospital sources have confirmed 38 deaths.
Abbasi Shaheed Hospital confirmed that 102 lost the battle for life at various hospitals of the KMC. According to Civil Hospital 86 people lost their lives while 15 bodies were received by the New Karachi hospital.
The National Institute of Cardiology received 64 bodies, while 35 children passed away at the National Institute of Child Health.
Sindh Government appealed that people should avoid going out in the sun unnecessarily and should wash their face multiple times a day in order to stay cool during the heat wave.
According to experts, people are vulnerable to the heat wave due to their low internal resistance and have advised using as much water as possible.
Residents of the city have not only been faced with the intense heat wave but also prolonged power outages during the holy month of Ramazan.
Temperatures remained at around 44.5 Celsius in Karachi on Tuesday but thunderstorms were forecast for the evening, the Meteorological Office said.
