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.
Saeed Mangnejo, a senior health official in Sindh province said on Tuesday "The number of people who have died in the heatwave has now reached 692." He further stated that the death toll may rise futher.
Karachi's largest hospital, Post Graduate Medical College Hospital, has treated more than 3,000 patients, Dr Semi Jamila told AFP news agency.
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| Medics have been battling to treat patients as a state of emergency was declared in hospitals. |
Meanwhile, seven people have died from the heat in Punjab province over the past 24 hours, officials said.
Elderly victims
The deaths came as the overwhelmingly Muslim country of around 200 million people observe the Islamic month of Ramadan, during which eating and drinking is forbidden from sunrise to sunset.Some clerics have issued public warnings saying that physically weak people can abstain from fasting in these tough conditions.
The provincial government meanwhile announced a public holiday to encourage residents to stay inside, an official said.
Reports said that "most of these people are very poor because there are a lot of people who are living on the streets, the victims are elderly."
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Our correspondent said the provincial government had been criticised by opposition parties for poor management of the crisis.
