At least seven persons have died of heat stroke in southern Punjab during last 24 hours as temperature rose to 43 degree Celsius and scores of others fell unconscious because of sweltering heat in Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions and Jhang district.
Health authorities confirmed that four persons died in Sahiwal district and one each in Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, and Rajanpur and more than 70 people became unconscious till Monday noon.
Meteorological department forecast dry and hot weather during next 24 hours in Southern Punjab and said there was not even a lightest hope of rain in couple of days. Hot wind accompanied by dust blew all the daylong. The prices of ice and cold drinks soared tremendously.
The weather severity also increased the incidence of sunstroke, sunburn which forced people to rush to public and private hospitals for treatment. Undeclared load shedding coupled with the heat wave made life hard for the people, as in some areas not a single drop of water was available to the residents. On the other hand, repeated and unending power failures provide a strong proof of the inefficiency of the Wapda authorities.
The district health department has distributed handbills advising the people about how to avoid sunstroke and other heat-related complications.