More than 430 dead in India heatwave
HYDERABAD (AFP) — More than 430 people have died in two Indian states from days-long of heatwave that has seen temperatures nudging 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), officials said yesterday.
Officials warned the toll was almost certain to rise, with figures still being collected in some parts of the hard- hit Telangana state in the south of the country, and with no end in sight to the searing conditions.
Large parts of India, including national capital New Delhi, have endured days of sweltering heat, prompting fears of power cuts. But the highest temperatures have been recorded in Telangana and neighboring Andhra Pradesh state.
Andhra Pradesh authorities are urging laborers and others not to work long hours in the heat of the day after 246 people died from the high temperatures there in the last week.
“The majority of the victims are people who have been exposed to the sun directly, usually aged 50 and above and from the working classes,” P. Tulsi Rani, special commissioner of Andhra Pradesh’s disaster management department, told AFP.
Rani said although the deaths started occurring on Monday last week, the number of cases snowballed toward the end of the week after days of scorching heat.
“We are asking them to take precautions like using an umbrella, using a cap, taking huge quantity of liquids like water and buttermilk and wearing cotton clothing,” he said.
Another 188 people have died in Telangana, mostly since the middle of last week, although the numbers were still being confirmed and were highly likely to rise, D. Vani, an official with the state’s disaster management department, told