Heat wave toll touches 1,242 in Karachi

Islamabad, June 27 : The devastating heat wave that struck Pakistan’s Sindh province is slowly subsiding but the toll has climbed to 1,242 with 32 deaths reported in Karachi on Saturday. Various government-run hospitals in Karachi confirmed that at least 32 people died of heatstroke on Saturday, reports Dawn. At least 13 people died in Jinh Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), 11 in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), two in Qatar Hospital, three in hospitals owned by Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) and three in other hospitals in the city. The crisis in Karachi was worsened by poor service delivery, including a faulty power grid and shortage of potable water. After peaking at around 45 degrees celsius last weekend, the heat wave has subsided and the city’s customary cooling sea breeze has begun to blow, bringing relief to its 20 million inhabitants. The city’s morgues struggled to cope with the influx of the dead, many of whom were elderly, destitute or drug addicts. (IANS)