Hundreds of people have died in southern Pakistan in what could be the country’s worst heat wave in decades.
In worst-hit Karachi, the capital city of Sindh Province, more than 650 were killed in four days as the scorching heat swept across Pakistan, according to the government. But Indian media called the figure "underestimated", saying twice as many people are feared dead across Sindh due to the extreme weather.
As daytime temperature climbed to over 40 degrees Celsius starting on Friday, major hospitals in Karachi are struggling to cope with an unprecedented influx of patients seeking treatment for heatstroke-related illness.
The heat has taken such a heavy toll as it arrived in the month of Ramadan, when Muslims are supposed to abstain from eating and drinking until sunset.
To make matters worse, frequent power outages and a shortage of water supply are especially threatening the elderly and the infirm in Karachi, a city of some 20 million people.
Many living in the city's slum areas count on ice cubes for a brief respite, but even ice melts quickly due to the heat.
All schools and government offices in Sindh Province were suspended on Wednesday.
According to the country's meteorological department, cooler temperatures are expected to arrive later in the week.
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