Another heatwave has hit the city of Karachi, with temperatures set to climb to 45° Celsius, officials said yesterday, a week after a similar situation killed more than 100 people.
Temperatures have risen since Monday night and the cooling winds from the Arabian Sea have stopped, meteorological official Shahid Abbas told DPA.
He said that the mercury is set to hit 45°C today, which would make it the hottest day this summer for the coastal city of more than 20mn people.
More than 100 people died due to heatstroke last week, said Anwar Kazmi, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation, which runs a network of ambulances and several morgues.
No deaths have been reported so far this week, Kazmi said, but he added that the foundation’s 34 rescue centres, ambulances and morgues are on high alert.
The health department has advised people to stay indoors and avoid exposure to the sun, local official Nasir Durrani said.
There have been high temperatures elsewhere in the country, with 10 cities registering 48°C on Monday.
The current wave is likely to subside from tomorrow night, Abbas said.
In 2015, more than 2,000 people died in Karachi when a heatwave struck during the month of Ramadan.