At least 10 people died in Karachi on Monday as an intense heatwave gripped the city and temperatures climbed to 44.1 degrees Celsius, the highest level recorded since 2018, officials and welfare organisations said.
The Edhi Foundation and Chhipa Welfare Association said 10 people died due to extreme heat, with most of the victims yet to be identified. According to the charities, many of the deceased appeared to be drug users whose bodies were found in different parts of the city.
The bodies were recovered from Manghopir, Gulshan-i-Hadeed, Defence Phase-VIII, Boat Basin, Liaquatabad, Superhighway, Surjani Town, Mauripur Road, Baldia Town and North Karachi. Volunteers shifted them to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Civil Hospital Karachi and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.
The welfare organisations said seven of the deceased remained unidentified till late at night.
However, Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said no bodies had been received in the medico-legal sections of the three government hospitals for autopsy.
In a statement, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in Karachi due to extreme weather and other causes. He directed the city administration to identify the deceased and trace their heirs.
He also urged citizens to avoid leaving their homes unnecessarily and to adopt precautionary measures during the ongoing heatwave.
The extreme weather also added to the difficulties faced by residents across the city. With intermediate and O/A Level examinations underway, many students struggled to sit their papers in severe heat, while frequent power outages, including at examination centres, worsened conditions.
Residents complained that K-Electric carried out excessive loadshedding despite the soaring temperatures, with outages in some localities lasting more than 16 hours. The city also continued to suffer from water shortages, offering little relief to people battling the heat.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Monday’s temperature was the highest recorded in Karachi since May 31, 2018, when the mercury had reached 46°C.
A PMD official said the maximum temperature recorded on Monday was 44.1°C with humidity at 17 per cent. Despite the extreme heat, the “feels-like” temperature remained below 40°C because of relatively low humidity.
Officials said the temperature rise was linked to dry continental winds that persisted throughout the day and delayed the return of the sea breeze.
Anjum Nazeer Zaigham, focal person of the PMD, said the increase in temperature had been forecast because of the prevailing westerly winds. He said the sea breeze, which had been expected after 3pm, returned only after 5pm, prolonging the hot spell.
The Met Office said temperatures are likely to begin easing from Tuesday as dry winds subside, though another rise is possible after the second week of the month.
A PMD chart later showed that Monday’s temperature was 7.8°C above the normal May average of 36.3°C.
