At least 34 people have died in the last two days due to the heat wave that affects the state of Uttar Pradesh, in the north of India, and the elderly have been advised to stay at home, reported this Saturday a medical source.
All of the dead were over the age of 60 and suffered from pre-existing health conditions that may have been worsened by the intense heat, Ballia district chief doctor Jayant Kumar said, justifying the call for residents over the age of 60 to stay at home for the day.
The deaths occurred in the Ballia district, about 300 kilometers southeast of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state, with 23 deaths recorded on Thursday and 11 on Friday, the doctor told the Associated Press (AP).
“All the individuals suffered from some diseases and their conditions were worsened by the extreme heat,” he said, noting that most of the deaths were caused by heart attacks, strokes and diarrhea.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, Ballia recorded a maximum temperature of 42.2 degrees Celsius on Friday, or 4.7 degrees above normal.
The heat triggered power outages across the state, leaving people without running water, fans or air conditioners, sparking protests, the AP says.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assured that the government was taking all measures to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the state and urged citizens to cooperate and use electricity in a restricted manner.
The main summer months (April, May and June) are generally warm across most of India, before monsoon rains bring cooler temperatures, but over the past decade temperatures have been getting warmer.
During heat waves, the country also suffers severe water shortages, with tens of millions of its 1.4 billion people deprived of running water.
In April, a heat wave killed 13 people at a government event in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, and prompted some states to close all schools for a week.
Source: TSF
