Dangerous Heat Wave Strikes Pakistan As Temperatures Soar

Pakistani's cool off at a water park in Lahore on May 26 during a heat wave.

Authorities in Pakistan's Punjab Province are advising people to stay indoors as an intense heat wave is expected to last until early June.

A couple carrying an umbrella atop a motorbike drive along a deserted market in Jacobabad.

Rising temperatures have led Punjab to close schools, affecting at least 26 million children.



 

People buy blocks of ice from a vendor in Jacobabad, where the temperature reached 52 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit). Mohenjoy Daro and Larkana became the hottest places in Pakistan as temperatures peaked at 53 C.


 

A boy rides on a water buffalo as he cools himself in a canal in Lahore.

Pakistan produces less than 1 percent of the world’s carbon footprint yet is suffering severe and multifaceted impacts from climate change.

A laborer covers his head with an empty sack to avoid the sun while working at a brick factory in Jacobabad.

According to the Global Climate Risk Index, the South Asian country of more than 241 million has suffered economic losses worth $3.8 billion due to climate change impacts between 1999 and 2018. 


 

With few people venturing out on the streets, vendors took naps in their shops.

A man walks past solar panels in Jacobabad.

The highest recorded temperature in Pakistan was 53.7 degrees Celsius, recorded on May 28, 2017, in the city of Turbat, located in the southwest province of Balochistan. 

Men cover their heads with a wet cloth as they ride a bike in Jacobabad.

Authorities are urging people to stay indoors, hydrate, and avoid unnecessary travel to prevent heatstroke as parts of Pakistan recorded temperatures as high as 53 degrees Celsius after its wettest April in over 60 years.