After an intense heat wave seared southern Pakistan, residents were relieved as pre-monsoon rains cooled the region Wednesday. The scorching temperatures killed at least 749 people, according to officials.
The port city of Karachi suffered the worst of the heat, “Karachi has sweltered in temperatures at least 40 degrees Celsius – 104 degrees Fahrenheit – five of the past six days from last Friday through Wednesday,” said weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman. In previous days, hospitals were filled inside and out with dehydrated patients, but admittance has since dropped, hospital officials said.
The heat wave was one of the worst in at least a decade, and temperatures soared as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit. The situation magnified as Karachi suffered from extreme power outages and little running water, and a majority of the residents were fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Karachi, home to some 20 million people and the capital of Sindh province, suffers under an inefficient power grid and a shortage of potable water. The power outages also affected the sporadic water supply in Karachi, where those who can afford it rely on tankers of water being delivered to their homes.
Mohammad Sabir, a top government official, said at least 749 people had died as a result of the heat wave in Sindh province.
