By DPA
Islamabad : At least 13 people died and dozens fainted Saturday as Pakistan reeled under an intense heat wave Saturday, with mercury soaring to 51 degrees Celsius in the southern city of Larkana.
Six people, including a middle-aged woman, died due to scorching heat in Okara, about 300 kilometres south-west of Islamabad, where 49 degrees Celsius temperature was recorded, newswire On Line reported.
Three people died and one dozen more fainted in the central city of Naseer Abad due to heatstroke, news channel Geo TV reported.
Scorching heat claimed four lives Friday in the central city of Lahore, which equalized its 78-year-old record of maximum temperature of 48 degrees Celsius on Saturday afternoon.
All four were found unconscious in various parts of the city and breathed their last on way to hospital.
"Today's maximum temperature was recorded at 51 degrees Celsius in Larkana and Sibi in southern province of Sindh," Director General Metrological Services, Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, said.
"We are expecting the current wave of heat to continue for the next four to five days," he added.
Temperatures hovered at around 44 in capital Islamabad and surrounding areas, forcing people to remain indoors and drink a lot of water.
The situation has been further compounded with prolonged power cuts in several parts of the country, including Karachi where hundreds of people have demonstrated against the power-supplying authorities in recent days.