neary 700 people have died in a severe three-day heat wave in Pakistan, officials have said,
with medics battling to treat patients as a state of emergency was declared in hospitals.
The majority of people died in government-run hospitals in the port city of Karachi, Pakistan's economic hub of around 20 million people, as temperatures reached 45 degrees Celsius at the weekend.
"The number of people who have died in the heatwave has now reached 692," Saeed Mangnejo, a senior health official in Sindh province, said on Tuesday.
Mangnejo said that the death toll may rise further.
Karachi's largest hospital, Post Graduate Medical College Hospital, has treated more than 3,000 patients, Dr Semi Jamila told the AFP news agency.
Hospitals have been swamped with people suffering from heatstroke and dehydration, while repeated power outages have left many without air conditioning or running water.
Meanwhile, seven people have died from the heat in Punjab province over the past 24 hours, officials said.