Pakistan Heat-Wave Toll Crosses 1,000

Officials say that more than 1,000 people have died from a recent heat wave in southern Pakistan, with thousands still being treated as temperatures started to ease.

Karachi, capital of Sindh Province, and several other districts have been in the grip of soaring temperatures since start of Ramadan on June 19.

A medical official said that more than 950 people died in Karachi and over 50 in rest of the province.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that more than 40,000 people have suffered heatstroke and over 8,000 were treated at medical facilities.

Pakistan's Meteorological Department said the temperature in Karachi, which reached 45 degree Celsius over the weekend, dipped to 37 on June 25.

The government has set up 100 heatstroke centers in Karachi.

On June 24, an influential religious scholar issued an edict that sick and frail people can skip fasting in the holy month of Ramadan.

PHOTO GALLERY: Hundreds Die In Pakistan Heat Wave

A four-day heat wave has killed more than 780 people in Karachi as the government declared a holiday in the southern Pakistani city to encourage people to stay home. The heat wave has coincided with severe electricity cuts and the holy month of Ramadan, when most Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours. Many of the deaths, among the elderly and poor have been caused by dehydration. Charities have been working to bridge the gaps in an overburdened and poorly funded public health system in the city of 20 million people, home to Pakistan's main stock market, central bank, and biggest port. Government health officials did not return calls seeking comment. Many of Karachi's wealthy have generators to run air conditioners to beat the heat, which reached 44 degrees Celsius over the weekend. Public services in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 190 million people, are starved of resources because of endemic tax evasion.

Based on reporting by dpa and AFP