Death Toll In Pakistani Heatwave At Least 289 - Riots Flare After Power Cuts

Islamabad - At least 57 more people died across Pakistan due to exposure to intense heat, raising the death toll to at least 289, media reports said on Thursday.

The central province of Punjab, with an average temperature of 42 degrees Celsius, was hard hit by the hot and humid weather that killed 44 people on Wednesday, the English-language daily The News reported.

People battled the sizzling temperatures amid frequent power outages as the country was facing its worst ever energy crisis, with electricity demand exceeding the supply by 2,900 megawatts.

Violent protests were staged in the port city of Karachi, where a major fault in one of the electricity generating units caused power cuts that continued in some cases for 12 hours.

EDIT

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/southasia/news/article_1317454.php/Death_toll_reaches_289_in_sizzling_Pakistan

KARACHI: The city witnessed riots, Wednesday as well, in protest against the unannounced load shedding of electricity.

The residents and shopkeepers, enraged with power outages, protested against the KESC by burning tires on roads and as a result, traffic was blocked for several hours.

On Wednesday night, affected people, in various areas of Liaquatabad, came out on to the streets at about 8 p.m., due to power outage all day long. The protesters burnt tires and waste materials, and blocked roads from Ghareebabad to Liaquatabad no.10, and from Teen Hatti Chowrangi to Dakkhana Chowrangi.

Power was not restored in Liaquatabad till the filing of this report and the riots continued.

EDIT

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C06%5C14%5Cstory_14-6-2007_pg12_2

:banghead:

And I'm every bit as guilty so don't think I'm being accusatory. But at least having a dark sense of humor is better than being consumed with dread. Or maybe I use the dark humor to mask the fact that I am consumed with dread?

Damn damn damn. :(

Where else could anybody get such regular practice?

hyperconsumerism and obliviousness to the coming train wreck, cynicism and sarcasm are the only things that seem to avert complete despair.

The average Angeleno is completely clueless and wilfully ignorant, along with self-centered and semi-literate.