More than 430 People Die During India Heatwave

Indian women passengers travel on a local train while the temperatures reached 40 degree Celsius in Calcutta, India, 22 May 2015. More than 430 people have died in two Indian states from a days-long heatwave that has seen temperatures nudging 50 deg C, officials said on Monday. — PHOTO: EPA 

HYDERABAD, India (AFP) – More than 430 people have died in two Indian states from a days-long heatwave that has seen temperatures nudging 50 deg C, officials said on Monday.

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 neighbouring Andhra Pradesh state.

The Andhra Pradesh authorities are urging labourers 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,” Mr P. Tulsi Rani, special commissioner of Andhra Pradesh’s disaster management department, told AFP.

(Source: StraitsTimes.com)