Hundreds of people have died in a three-day heatwave affecting Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, according to local media reports.
A spokesperson from the Sindh province Ministry of Health told CNN that 323 people had died in Karachi as a result of the heatwave.
The ministry also told CNN that the number of patients treated for heat stroke in Jinnah hospital, the largest in the city, is 2.360.
Others, unable to make it to a hospital, may have died at home. At least one city morgue, CNN affiliate Geo.tv has reported, has been overwhelmed with the numbers of dead.
Death tolls in local media reports vary.
The Sindh provincial government has declared a state of emergency in all its government hospitals, canceling leave of medical personnel and bringing in further medical supplies.
The record-breaking temperatures would likely bring more deaths before cooler weather, forecast for later in the week, arrive.
Saturday’s temperature reached 44.8 degrees Celsius (112.64 degrees Fahrenheit) — the highest-recorded temperature in Pakistan in the last 15 years. Sunday’s temperature dipped slightly to 42.5 Celsius (108.5 F).
Ramadan obligations add pressure
Citizens in this predominantly Muslim country are observing Ramadan, the holy month when Muslim faithful around the world fast from sunup until sundown.
This means, that amidst these scorching temperatures, Pakistanis are foregoing food and water.
Making matters worse, Karachi is dealing with frequent power outages as the electricity grids are unable to keep up with the demand in the city of 20 million.
To the east, a heat wave struck India last month, killing more than 2,000 people.