More than 500 people killed as heat wave bakes parts of India

Soaring temperatures have gripped parts of southern and northern India in an extreme heat wave which has killed more than 500 people and looks set to continue this week. The hottest place in India was Allahabad, a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which saw mercury rise to 47.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday. Most of the 539 recorded deaths have been of construction workers, the elderly or the homeless in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.  Deaths have also occurred in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a red warning to affected regions saying that the heat wave conditions are likely to continue over coming days.

We have opened centers in different places specially in urban areas for the distribution of water and butter milk.

Director of Andhra Pradesh’s Disaster Management Department K. Dhananjaya Reddy

The government has cancelled the leave of all doctors as hospitals were being flooded with cases of heat-stroke, compensation of 100,000 rupees ($1,575) is being promised to families of people who had died. In the neighbouring state of Telangana, where 204 people have died, officials have advised people to stay indoors during peak afternoon hours, drink plenty of fluids and wear loose clothing. Officials say the monsoon, predicted to hit southern India’s coastline on May 31, will bring some relief from the high temperatures.

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