Death Toll from Heat Wave in India Stands at Nearly 2000
According to the National Post, heat-related conditions, including dehydration and heat stroke, have killed at least 1,400 people in Andhra Pradesh and 489 in Telangana since mid-April, according to state officials.
Daytime temperatures hovered between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius (104 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit) in the two states on Saturday, after soaring to as high as 48 C earlier in the week, the meteorological department said.
A strong thunderstorm brought some relief from the stifling heat to Anantapur, a town in Andhra Pradesh, though the storm uprooted trees and electricity poles and cut power in some areas.
An Indian man wipes sweat off his face on a hot summer day in New Delhi, India, Sunday, May 24, 2015. Heat wave has tightened its grip over most parts of the country. More than 200 people have died since mid-April in a heat wave sweeping two southeast Indian states, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
People breathed a sigh of comfort in the Telangana state capital of Hyderabad and Telangana’s Mehubnagar district, which recorded 1 centimetre of rainto cool the sweltering heat.
However, at least four districts — Guntur, Krishna and East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, and Nalgonda in Telangana — were still in the grip of the heat wave, the meteorological department said, adding that they would likely get some relief in the next 24 hours due to rain in nearby areas.
Cooling monsoon rains are expected next week in southern India before gradually advancing north. The monsoon season will last until the end of September.
Forecasting service AccuWeather warned Friday of prolonged drought conditions in India, with the monsoon likely to be disrupted by a more active typhoon season over the Pacific.
