Pakistan declared an emergency in state-run hospitals on Monday as the death toll from a sizzling heatwave rose to 47, officials said.
Temperatures have soared to more than 50 degrees Celsius in some parts of central Punjab and southern Sindh provinces since Friday, the meteorological office said.
At least 21 people have died in Punjab province in the past 24 hours, including three in the provincial capital, Lahore, Health Ministry official Amir Ali told Agence France-Presse.
Five of them drowned when they jumped into rivers or canals to beat the heat.
Officials had previously reported 26 deaths between Friday and Sunday.
The meteorological office says no respite is likely for several days.
A heatwave in Pakistan last year claimed more than 80 lives while around 200 died in 2005. — AFP
