KARACHI: If loadshedding is determined to be the cause of the unexplained deaths that have been recorded in the city in recent days, the Sindh government has threatened to file murder charges against K-Electric (KE), the main electricity provider in the area.
While expressing sorrow over multiple deaths that have been reported in Karachi in recent days, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar said that an investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of these deaths and that KE will be held responsible if power outages are determined to be the cause of those fatalities.
The minister declared, “Murder cases will be filed against managers and officials of KE.”
Lanjar’s comments coincide with the news that a spokeswoman for the nation’s financial center revealed that 22 people had died there on Tuesday.
Severe weather has descended upon the city in recent days, bringing with it temperatures that are “feels-like” they are above 50°C. The mercury has even reached 42°C.
The next several days are expected to bring more hot and muggy weather, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
The problems faced by the Karachiites have been made worse by the 12 to 14-hour loadshedding that has occurred in certain locations due to the harsh weather.
About 150 cases of heatstroke have been admitted to Karachi’s Civil Hospital in the last few days, with 40 of those who were hospitalized due to extreme heat still there, according to a Tuesday report from News.