ISLAMABAD [Pakistan]: At least 22 people died in Islamabad and Mardan after suffering from heatstroke amid extreme weather conditions in Pakistan, Geo News reported citing health officials on Monday.
Mardan Medical Complex chief Dr Tariq Mehmood said that 18 people lost their lives in the city on June 24 due to sunstroke. He added that most of the victims were women over 50.
The miseries of the masses were further compounded across several cities due to unannounced electricity load shedding across several cities.
Moreover, at least four people have died of heatstroke in the federal capital in the same period, according to officials, Geo News reported.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has denied reports of any death at the health facility due to extreme heat, saying the district administration had brought four people dead, who probably died due to heatstroke.
They said all possible assistance was being provided to facilitate patients and their attendants at the healthcare facility.
"At least four people were brought dead at the hospital's emergency by the district administration on Saturday, who probably died due to heatstroke during extreme heatwave-like conditions. We have complete evidence that these people were not alive when they were brought to the health facility," Geo News quoted Dr Mubashir Daha, a spokesman for the PIMS, telling The News.
Dr Daha claimed that the hospital had received over a dozen heatstroke patients last week from different areas of Islamabad. He added that all of them were treated and discharged after their condition improved.
Last week, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issued a warning that heatwave-like conditions would persist in most parts of the country from June 20-24 due to the high pressure in the upper atmosphere.
"Temperatures are likely to increase gradually in most parts of the country during the period due to the presence of high pressure in the upper atmosphere the day," Geo News quoted the PMD.
The PMD had stated that daytime temperatures were likely to remain 4-6 degrees Celsius above normal in upper and central Punjab, Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and 2-4 degrees Celsius above normal in Sindh, South Punjab and parts of Balochistan.
The weather department had also warned that power and water demands would increase in the coming days due to the temperature rise and advised citizens to ensure judicious use of water in all aspects of life, Geo News reported.