More than 700 people have died from a three-day heatwave in southern Pakistan where a state of emergency has been declared in hospitals and medics are racing to treat victims.
-
-
A Pakistani boy sprinkles water on his father who is suffering from heatstroke. Most of the deaths have happened in Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub of 20 million people, where temperatures reached 45ºC at the weekend. Shakil Adil / AP Photo -
A boy cools off. Rehan Khan / EPA -
A Pakistani man rests in the shade. Tahir Ashrafi, a prominent Islamic cleric, urged those who were at risk of heat stroke to abstain from fasting. Rehan Khan / EPA -
People cool themselves off at Karachi’s shore in Pakistan. Shakil Adil / AP Photo -
Karachi’s largest hospital has treated about 3,000 people. “More than 200 of them were either received dead or died in hospital,” said Semi Jamali, a doctor. Shahzaib Akber / EPA -
A man jumps in to a stream to cool off during a hot day in Islamabad. Faisal Mahmood / Reuters -
Pakistan’s largest charity, Edhi Welfare Organisation, said its two morgues in the city had received more than 400 corpses in the past three days, and had reached full capacity. Shahzaib Akber / EPA -
Provincial governments announced a public holiday to encourage people to stay indoors. Many of the dead have been labourers who work outdoors. Some residents, who were able to, also took to hosing each other down with water.. EPA/REHAN KHAN -
A woman uses a piece of cardboard to fan her son. Akhtar Soomro / Reuters -
An official from the National Disaster Management Authority said that heat stroke treatment centres would be established at all hospitals across the province to provide “emergency medicines for heat stroke victims”. Akhtar Soomro / Reuters
Hundreds die in Pakistan heatwave - in pictures
Most popular today
