Karachi, Aug. 10 (Reuters): German-born nun Ruth Pfau, who devoted her life to eradicating leprosy in Pakistan, died on Thursday in the southern city of Karachi, a hospital official said. She was 87.

Widely known as Pakistan's Mother Teresa, Pfau was eulogised by the Prime Minister and army chief for her contributions towards freeing the country of a contagious disease that can cause disfigurement.

"Pfau may have been born in Germany, her heart was always in Pakistan," Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said in a statement.

He announced a state funeral would be held on August 19 in recognition of her services.

Born in 1929, Dr Ruth Katharina Martha Pfau had been living in Pakistan since 1960. She founded the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre in Karachi, Pakistan's first hospital dedicated to treating the disease, and opened branches across the country.

"It was due to her endless struggle that Pakistan defeated leprosy," the German consulate in Karachi posted on Facebook.