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Heat Wave in Pakistan’s Karachi Kills Dozens

Heat Wave in Pakistan’s Karachi Kills Dozens
Heat Wave in Pakistan’s Karachi Kills Dozens

Dozens of people have died in Pakistan, where a severe heat wave has coincided with the start of Ramadan.

The southern city of Karachi, with a population of 15 million, is sweltering in temperatures hitting 44 degrees Celsius. Local media reports say that up to 100 people have died of heatstroke since the weekend, ABC reported.

Heatstroke occurs when the body overheats in prolonged exposure to high temperatures. The condition leads to organ and muscle failure and is exacerbated by dehydration.

The soaring temperatures in Karachi have come at the start of the holy month of Ramadan, which sees many Muslims abstain from all food and water during daylight hours.

According to tradition, people who are elderly or have a medical condition are exempt from fasting.

In 2015, a catastrophic heat wave across Pakistan killed more than 1,000 people, many of them homeless.

In a 2017 report, the Asian Development Bank named Pakistan as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries in light of climate change.

It reported that the duration of heat waves in the country had increased fivefold in the previous 30 years.

The mountainous north of the country is vulnerable to glacial melt, while rising sea levels, drought and temperature increases are expected to affect the coastal south.

 

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