Sizzling heat claims 10 lives in SW Pakistan
Pakistan Times National News Desk

SUKUR: Heatwave claimed ten lives in Sukkur and adjoining areas, while eight to ten hours’ undeclared loadshedding was continued in rural areas of Punjab, Azad Kashmir and NWFP.

According to hospital sources the ongoing heatwave has claimed ten lives in Sukkur and adjoining areas.

Local health department officials have said that 30 heat-struck people were brought to the city’s Civil Hospital and other medical facilities from various localities. Three of them were in a critical state.

Last night several localities of Sukkur suffered another power outage, as thousands passed their night on roads in open air.

According to the Water & Power ministry sources Karachi will receive additional 100-megawatt electricity from WAPDA, which will improve situation in the metropolis severely hit by power outages.

However, load-shedding period in rural areas of Punjab and some parts of NWFP was enhanced to six to eight hours in this sizzling weather. Azad Kashmir was undergoing daily 10 hours outages.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will attend a briefing on power supply scenario in the country, sources said.

The government may give WAPDA go ahead for launching another 400-megawatt thermal power station project in Faisalabad or Multan in the meeting, sources added.●