22 die of heatstroke in Islamabad, Mardan

• 8 people lost lives in Mardan on June 24 due to heat wave.
•  At least four people died of heatstroke in federal capital.
• PIMS denies reports of death at health facility due to heat.

At least 22 people died in Islamabad and Mardan after suffering from heatstroke as extreme weather conditions bake parts of Pakistan, health officials said Monday.

Mardan Medical Complex chief Dr Tariq Mehmood said that 18 people lost their lives in the city on June 24 (Saturday) due to sunstroke.

He added that most of the victims were women over 50.

Several cities across the country experienced sweltering weather last week, with unannounced electricity loadshedding compounding the miseries of the masses.

Moreover, at least four people have died of heatstroke in the federal capital in the same period, according to officials.

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," Dr Mubashir Daha, a spokesman for the PIMS, told The News.

He claimed that the hospital had received over a dozen heatstroke patients last week from different areas of Islamabad; however, all were treated and discharged when their condition improved.

In response to a query, he said nine air-conditioning units had been installed at the old emergency building of PIMS on Saturday, while efforts were being made to get the central cooling system functional as early as possible.

Heatwave warning

Last week, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned 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," it had said.

The PMD had stated that daytime temperatures were likely to remain 4-6°C above normal in upper and central Punjab, Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and 2-4°C above normal in Sindh, South Punjab and parts of Balochistan.

The weather department had said 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.