The death toll from a severe heatwave in Pakistan's southern Sindh province has surpassed 800, according to hospital officials, with mortuaries reaching capacity. At least 780 deaths were reported in Karachi alone, with another 30 elsewhere in the province, as temperatures soared to 45C.
The Edhi Welfare Organisation reported that its morgues had received hundreds of corpses and were now full. 'More than 400 dead bodies have so far been received in our two mortuaries in past three days,' said spokesperson Anwar Kazmi. 'The mortuaries have reached capacity.'
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called for emergency measures on Tuesday, deploying the army to set up heat stroke centres. However, authorities have faced criticism for a slow response, with power cuts limiting the use of air-conditioning and fans. The situation was worsened by widespread abstention from water during daylight hours in the fasting month of Ramadan.
Many victims were elderly people from low-income families. Thousands more are being treated, some in serious condition. Sporadic protests have occurred in Karachi, with residents blaming the government and power utility K-Electric for failing to prevent deaths. The prime minister had promised no electricity cuts, but outages have increased since Ramadan began.
Health Secretary Saeed Mangnejo said 612 people died in government-run hospitals in Karachi over four days, with another 80 in private hospitals. The National Disaster Management Authority has been ordered to take immediate action. Cooler weather and pre-monsoon rains are expected later in the week, offering respite but not addressing the city's chronic infrastructure and governance issues.
