57 more die due to sweltering heat

At least 57 more people were killed by the sweltering heat in Pakistan, as frequent load shedding further worsened the situation.

At least 57 more people were killed by the sweltering heat in Pakistan, as frequent load shedding further worsened the situation, The News reported on Thursday.

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No official figures on the heat wave-generated deaths were available, but the media reports suggested the toll from June 9-13 might have been over 190 with 57 deaths on Wednesday.

Most of the deaths occurred in Punjab where temperatures in many places were recorded at 40 plus degrees Celsius on the seventh consecutive day on Tuesday.

Power cuts in some cities due to increasing electricity shortage also worsened the suffering of the people, sparking protests in many parts of the country.

The heat wave claimed more than 80 lives across the country in 2006, while the sizzling summer in 2003 killed over 230 people.