Commissioner Karachi refutes large-scale deaths due to heatwave

KARACHI:  Commissioner Karachi Syed Hasan Naqvi refuted claims of large-scale deaths in the city due to an intense heatwave, saying that 10 persons lost their lives in two days in the Karachi division, ARY News reported.

Briefing the media persons here at his office, the commissioner refuted the reports regarding large-scale deaths due to severe heat in the metropolis and said that data collected from different sources confirmed the demise of 10 individuals due to humid conditions.

Syed Hasan Naqvi cited the collected data from different sources including patient information from hospitals, data of graveyard burials from Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and information from mortuaries.

The commissioner said that the reported large-scale deaths in the city are not accurate as those figures have not been confirmed by any source. He added that around 1700 patients with heat stroke were brought to all hospitals of the Karachi division.

Syed Hasan Naqvi said that mortuaries usually do not record the cause of death and administration had to contact the heirs of deceased persons. He said that hardly five percent of respondents mentioned heat stroke as the cause of death.

Read More: Govt orders investigation into ‘mysterious deaths’ in Karachi

The commissioner Karachi said that the city administration is taking measures on emergency basis to deal with the situation arising from heat wave.

On a query regarding disruptions in power supply by the K-Electric,  Syed Hasan Naqvi said that he will convene a meeting with the power utility officials to ask them to avoid load shedding during heat wave spells which usually last for two or three days.
He said that the KE will be further asked to ensure uninterrupted power supply from 12:00 midnight to 6:00 am.

The commissioner also urged the citizens not to spread unconfirmed information.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Sindh government ordered an immediate investigation to determine the causes behind the ‘mysterious deaths’ in Karachi as more than two dozens bodies were recovered in three days

Expressing deep grief and regret over the ‘mysterious deaths’ in Karachi, the Interior Minister of Sindh – Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar, has ordered an immediate investigation to find the cause of the incidents.

“K-Electric will be held accountable if the inquiry reveals prolonged load shedding as a primary cause of these deaths”, the interior minister stated.

He stated that murder charges would be filed against KE administrators and, a responsible person if the inquiry reveals prolonged load shedding as a primary cause of these deaths.