Last weeks high temperatures in Karachi has killed 65 people so far in a heatwave gripping Pakistan’s largest city this week, a charity in the sprawling metropolis said temperatures hit 44 degrees Celsius. The non-profit Edhi Foundation said scores may have been killed by the sweltering weather, with double the usual number of bodies sent to the city’s morgues in recent days. “We have received 180 dead bodies in the last four days which is more than double of what we receive normally,” said Faisal Edhi, head of the welfare organisation which oversees a variety of public health projects — including morgues and ambulance services.
The heatwave coincides with the beginning of Ramadan when millions of devout Pakistanis abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department warned “hot to very hot weather is likely to prevail in Karachi during next 2-3 days”, forecasting highs of 44 degrees Celsius during the period.
People living on its crowded streets have little access to shelter or safe drinking water, making them acutely at risk in blistering temperatures.
In June 2015 about 1,200 people died in southern Pakistan during a heatwave, with nearly two-thirds of the victim’s homeless people.
Image for illustration purposes.
