Death Toll From Heatwave Surges Past 2,330 in India
Officials in India announced today that more than 2,330 people have now been killed by the country’s blistering weeks-long heatwave, CNN reports.
On Wednesday, the official death toll stood at 1,300, but last week’s weather was particularly deadly, with temperatures reaching 118 degrees Fahrenheit in some cities. From The Wall Street Journal:
The heat wave began in mid-April but deaths have accelerated in recent days.
[Disaster management official P. Tulsi] Rani said 1,636 people have died from heat-related problems in [the state of Andhra Pradesh] during the past week.
Most of those who died are believed to be day laborers or old people suffering from sunstroke or dehydration, authorities said.
According to meteorologists, the cooling monsoon rains that were originally expected to make landfall days ago are now unlikely come before Friday.
[Image via AP Images]