Heat Wave In India Kills More Than 750 People

The highest recorded temperature in some southeastern states was 117 degrees Fahrenheit.

















An Indian auto rickshaw driver on Monday.


Mahesh Kumar A. / AP














A brutal heatwave has claimed over 750 lives in India, mostly in two southeastern states, the Hindustan Times reported.

The death toll in the state of Andhra Pradesh reached 551 on Tuesday – with the district of Guntur recording 104 deaths alone. At least 213 people died in the state of Telangana.

The highest maximum temperature recorded on Monday was 117 degrees Fahrenheit in the state of Odisha, the director of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) told CNN.

The IMD issued "red box" warnings for three states — Odisha, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh — for May 26 and predicted that a severe heat wave would continue in these states for the next few days.

A "red box" warning indicates temperatures inching upwards of 113 degrees Fahrenheit – leading to higher chances of heatstroke, dehydration and fatalities, the Hindustan Times reported.

The country's capital of Delhi and some other states would continue to face sweltering conditions until the end of May, according to the IMD.

On Tuesday, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

This has been the worst heat wave in India since 2010, when at least 250 people died, Scroll.in reported. The city of Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat, is the only one in India to have an operational heat alert system. Similar systems exist in France, UK and Australia, according to Scroll.in.

Around 75 million households in India do not have access to electricity, according to a 2014 report to the prime minister.

A monsoon, expected to hit India's coastline on May 31, will bring respite from the heat, officials said.




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