Karachi Heat Wave: Death Toll Surpasses 1,000

Officials confirmed that the death toll for the heat wave in the Pakistani port city of Karachi surpassed 1,000 Thursday, largely claiming lives of the elderly and homeless without access to air conditioning. Pakistan has not seen temperatures this high in 15 years.

Temperatures dropped below 100 on Thursday after climbing to a high of 113 degrees Fahrenheit or 45 degrees Celsius during the heat wave, but the Pakistani government is still feeling the heat. The government is under harsh criticism for a lack of preparedness and inadequate response to the crisis the heat wave has caused.

Morgues are over capacity, causing bodies to lie on the ground outside with dozens of unidentified corpses still awaiting burial.

Hospitals have been unable to keep up with cases of heatstroke and dehydration as a result of the heat wave, with over 14,000 people seeking treatment at government and private hospitals in Karachi. More than 8,000 of those patients went to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, the largest such site in Karachi.

The surge of patients that have fallen victim to the heat wave has hospitals running low on even the most basic of supplies, and many of the people suffering are being taken care of by their family members.

Additional aid for the heat wave has come from the Pakistani army and a paramilitary force, the Rangers, which set up camps designed to give relief to those suffering from heatstroke.

Various non-government and volunteer organizations have been on hand with water and medicine outside of hospitals as well.

Though a heat wave precedes monsoon season every year, the intensity of the heat this year has left supplies of air conditioners, room coolers and fans running low.

Residents have organized protests and blocked traffic to express their anger with the power cuts continuing throughout the heat wave. A protest consisting of lawmakers was held outside of the Sindh Assembly’s building on Wednesday.

Instead of working to solve the problem, many members of the government have deflected comments about the handling of the heat wave or the cause of the rising death toll.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Pakistan’s Water and Power Minister, said that the shortages are not the government’s fault.

“The federal government is not responsible if there is a water shortage in Karachi. We are ready for accountability, but it’s not appropriate to blame us for each and every thing.”

Meanwhile, Khalid Rahman, director general of the Institute of Policy Studies in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, told TIME that there was plenty the government could have acted on.

“In these days of technology-driven information available well in advance, the government should have come up with an emergency plan as well as some kind of awareness campaign for the public and some emergency centers.”

The government declared Wednesday a public holiday to allow people to stay inside during the intense heat wave.

[Photo Via Twitter / NBC News]