No respite from heat as Indian toll hits 800
Print Edition
At least 800 people have died in a major heat wave that has swept across India, melting roads in New Delhi as temperatures neared 50 degrees Celsius.
Hospitals were on alert to treat victims of heatstroke and authorities advised people to stay indoors with no end in sight to the heat.
In the worst-hit state of Andhra Pradesh, in the south, 551 people have died in the last week as temperatures hit 47 degrees on Monday.
“The state government has taken up education programs through television and other media to tell people not to venture into the outside without a cap, to drink water and other measures,” said P Tulsi Rani, special commissioner for disaster management in the state.
Large parts of India, including the capital New Delhi, have endured days of sweltering heat, prompting fears of power cuts as energy-guzzling air conditioners work overtime.
The Hindustan Times daily said the maximum temperature in the capital hit a two-year high of 45.5 degrees on Monday — five degrees higher than the seasonal average. It carried a front-page photo of a main road melting in the heat, its zebra pedestrian crossing stripes curling and spreading into the asphalt.
“It’s baking hot out here — our outing has turned into a nightmare,” said Meena Sheshadri, a 37-year-old tourist from the western city of Pune who was visiting Delhi’s India Gate monument with her children.
“My throat is parched, even though I’ve been constantly sipping water.”
In Telangana state, which borders Andhra Pradesh in the south, 231 people have died in the last week.
India’s Meteorological Department issued a “Red Box” warning for the state yesterday and today — meaning temperatures would remain above 45 degrees.
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