Pakistan Heat Wave Rages
Nearly 800 people have died so far in a heat wave in southern Pakistan's financial capital of Karachi, prompting Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to declare a state of emergency. The heat wave has brought attention to the country's public service woes after Karachi, home to 20 million, was under-equipped to provide adequate health services to those seeking attention amid temperatures reaching up to 44 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) with high humidity.
Studies show extreme weather events, including heat waves, can be expected to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change. An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released last year said heat waves are likely to occur more often and last longer.
Pictures
A man uses a handheld fan to cool down his son, while waiting outside Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in Karachi.Reuters
Relatives gather beside the bodies of heatstroke victims outside the cold storage of the Edhi morgue in Karachi, southern Pakistan on June 23, 2015AFP
A woman (R) wets her burqa to cool her father's head outside the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) in Karachi, Pakistan, June 24, 2015.Reuters
A man cools off from a public tap after filling bottles during intense hot weather in Karachi, Pakistan, June 23, 2015.Reuters
A woman uses a piece of cardboard to fan her son, while waiting to be seen Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in Karachi.Reuters
A woman, suffering from heat wave, receives treatment at an army heat stroke relief centre, setup at a local school in Karachi, Pakistan, June 23, 2015.Reuters
A volunteer puts an identification tag onto a body of heatwave victim as other bodies are seen in the the cold storage of the morgue in Karachi.AFP
People help a man suffering from heat exhaustion at a market in Karachi.AFP