A searing heatwave continued to bake most parts of Pakistan as temperatures soared up to 51 degrees Celsius (about 124 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday, meteorological officials and local media reported.
The southern Sindh and northeastern Punjab provinces are predominantly bearing the brunt of the scorching heatwave, which, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, is likely to persist for at least another week.
Jacobabad recorded 51 degrees Celsius — the highest ever this year — followed by Nawabshah, where the mercury touched 50.5 degrees.
At least three children died because of the severe heat in the Kaccho region of Sindh on Saturday, local media reported, while temperatures in Larkana were recorded as 50 degrees.
All urban centers, such as Karachi, Hyderabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Sialkot have been severely hit with load-shedding and situation in rural areas of the country is even worse.
The prolonged load-shedding has increases the miseries of the public, causing difficulties to perform daily chores.
The rise in temperatures has also caused water and energy crises in several cities, apart from posing a threat to crops across the nation.
The meteorological department, in a statement, cautioned that the prevailing hot and dry weather could cause stress on water reservoirs, crops, vegetables, and orchards, advising farmers to manage their crops accordingly.