The 2024 Pakistan heat wave was an

extreme heat A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

event occurring in June 2024 that led to the death of over 568

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

citizens primarily in

Southern Pakistan Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind or Scinde) is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest provin ...

Background

The

Pakistan Meteorological Department The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) (, also known as Pakistan Met Office), is an autonomous and independent institution tasked with providing weather forecasts and public warnings concerning weather for protection, safety and general in ...

reported Severe Heatwave conditions occurring on 21–31 May 2024 through most of the country, and primarily in

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

. Temperature highs rose to in Karachi and in

Thatta Thatta is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh. Thatta was the medieval capital of Sindh, and served as the seat of power for three successive dynasties. Its construction was ordered by Jam Nizamuddin II in 1495. Thatta's historic signif ...

Badin Badin ( Sindhi and ) is the main city and capital of Badin District in Sindh, Pakistan. It lies east of the Indus River. It is the 105th largest city in Pakistan. Badin is often called 'Sugar State' due to its production of sugar. Badin Dist ...

and

Sujawal Sujawal (), town is headquarter of Sujawal district of Sindh. Previously, it was Sub Divisional Headquarter of Sujawal Sub Division of Thatta District, Sindh, Pakistan. The Government of Sindh has granted Sujawal the status of a district an ...

districts, causing 2,547 reported instances of heat stroke and 133 livestock deaths. The

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 1 ...

(IRC) warned that heat waves would exacerbate the consequences of flood and drought, causing food insecurity for over 8.6 million people in up to 26 of Pakistan's 166 districts, and demanded that the world pay attention to the ongoing

climate crisis ''Climate crisis'' is a term that is used to describe global warming and climate change and their effects. This term and the term ''climate emergency'' have been used to emphasize the threat of global warming to Earth's natural environment an ...

. Starting on 20 June 2024, temperatures in Sindh began to rise due to a prolonged heat wave, with temperatures in Karachi rising above throughout the weekend and reaching on 25 June. The heat was coupled with high humidity, causing the temperature to feel the same as . Extreme temperatures were made more difficult to bear due to regular

power cuts A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an el ...

that cut off

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

and fans in many regions. Heat wave camps were set up in order to alleviate injuries and deaths from the heatwave.

Casualties

From 20 to 26 June 2024, 568 deaths were reported as a result of extreme temperatures, 141 of whom died on 25 June alone. The Edhi ambulance service reported that it was taking roughly 30-40 people to the

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

morgue daily. Several of the deceased in Karachi were homeless or suspected drug addicts who showed no signs of prior injury. At least 427 people died in Karachi, with the four morgues in the city reporting that there was no more space to keep bodies due to their rapid influx.

Civil Hospital Karachi Civil Hospital Karachi (), officially known as Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, is a 1,900-bed tertiary care public hospital that imparts both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training. It is one of the teaching hospitals ...

reported that 267 people were taken in due to

heat stroke Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun-stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstro ...

between 23 and 26 June, of whom twelve died as a result. Head of the emergency department Dr. Imran Sarwar Sheikh reported that most of the casualties were reported to be in their 60s-70s, with some in their 20s. He stated that several of the patients were working outside. According to the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

, at least 5,358 patients were admitted to hospitals for heat-related illnesses, and 158 livestock were killed.

References

{{Deadliest meteorological events in 2024 2024 heat waves Heat waves in Pakistan June 2024 in Pakistan 2024 disasters in Pakistan History of Karachi (1947–present) Climate change in Pakistan

Background

Casualties

See also

References