SUKKUR, June 18: Thirty people fell unconscious in Sukkur and Rohri on Wednesday due to scorching heat as power remained disrupted throughout the day and the temperature rose to 49 degrees Celsius.

The power breakdown occurred at 1am on Wednesday after a fault developed in a gird station. The power was restored at 1:30pm but it was again suspended after a short while and could not be restored till the filing of this report at 9pm.

The EDO, health, Dr Ashfaq Piracha, told this correspondent that several operations scheduled for Wednesday at the Sukkur Civil Hospital and other hospitals of the district could not be conducted due to the breakdown. Many fainted people were shifted to the civil hospital.

Race Course Road, Ayub Gate, Local Board, Shalimar and civil hospital areas, and Wasan, Memon and other localities of the Sukkur city remained without electricity.

Wapda officials said a major fault had developed in the Arain grid station which caused the power breakdown in the city. They said the work of changing transformers was also in progress in Rohri and it would continue till June 19.

In a telegram sent to Hesco chief, members of the executive committee of the Sukkur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, complained about the prolonged breakdown in the city.

Meanwhile, the executive engineer, Hesco, Rohri operation division, announced that 11kv Shalimar Qureshi Road feeder would remain closed from 8am to 1pm from June 19 to 24.

The shutdown will effect Qureshi and Tanga Stand areas on June 19 and 20 and Shalimar Road area and Nusrat Colony-5 on June 23 and 24.