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More than 100 people die of heatstroke in Pakistan's Karachi

More than 100 people die of heatstroke in Pakistan's Karachi

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

A bird flies over a shrine as the sun sets in Karachi December 31, 2014. Photo: Reuters/File

KARACHI : Pakistani officials say more than 100 people have died from heatstroke in the southern port city of Karachi in the last two days. Seemi Jamali, a spokeswoman for city's Jinnah Hospital, confirmed the deaths on Monday. She says hundreds more have been admitted to the hospital with heat-related ailments, including fever and dehydration. Karachi is in the grip of a rare heat wave, with temperatures soaring to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). A collapse of the local power grid over the weekend made matters worse. Meteorologist Mohammad Hanif says the heat wave is the worst in at least a decade, but that the arrival of monsoon rains in the coming days should bring relief.