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| Death Toll From Karachi, Pakistan, Heat Wave Rises to 770 | Death Toll From Karachi, Pakistan, Heat Wave Rises to 770 |
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| KARACHI, Pakistan — The death toll from a heat wave in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, rose to 770 on Wednesday, government officials said, as a forecast of rain in parts of the city offered some hope of eventual relief. | |
| Continued power cuts and temperatures of up to almost 100 degrees contributed to a sense of crisis on Wednesday in Karachi, where thousands have been treated at hospitals for dehydration and heatstroke. Residents have also started donation drives for government hospitals, which have faced a heavy influx of patients since the heat wave began five days ago. | Continued power cuts and temperatures of up to almost 100 degrees contributed to a sense of crisis on Wednesday in Karachi, where thousands have been treated at hospitals for dehydration and heatstroke. Residents have also started donation drives for government hospitals, which have faced a heavy influx of patients since the heat wave began five days ago. |
| With temperatures as high as 113 degrees on Saturday, the heat wave coincided with Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, when many residents of Karachi forgo food and water during daylight hours. Lack of hydration for up to 15 hours, combined with a dearth of access to ways to cool down, were especially devastating to day laborers who worked outdoors. | With temperatures as high as 113 degrees on Saturday, the heat wave coincided with Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, when many residents of Karachi forgo food and water during daylight hours. Lack of hydration for up to 15 hours, combined with a dearth of access to ways to cool down, were especially devastating to day laborers who worked outdoors. |
| The Edhi Foundation, a private charity, said that its rescue workers had picked up 18 bodies by Wednesday afternoon, a steep decline from the previous few days, when its ambulances and morgue had tallied over 600 deaths. | The Edhi Foundation, a private charity, said that its rescue workers had picked up 18 bodies by Wednesday afternoon, a steep decline from the previous few days, when its ambulances and morgue had tallied over 600 deaths. |
| The Karachi commissioner, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, said that more than 750 people had died as a result of the heat in the city, but that the number of deaths was expected to taper off as the weather changed. Government meteorologists have forecast rain at isolated locations in Karachi over the next 24 hours. | |
| Lawmakers in the lower house of Parliament criticized the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during its session on Wednesday. The federal government has denied responsibility for the death toll, while the Sindh provincial government has blamed Islamabad, as well as the privately run company that provides Karachi’s power, K-Electric, for its management of the situation. | Lawmakers in the lower house of Parliament criticized the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during its session on Wednesday. The federal government has denied responsibility for the death toll, while the Sindh provincial government has blamed Islamabad, as well as the privately run company that provides Karachi’s power, K-Electric, for its management of the situation. |