Over 750 Dead as Weeks-Long Heatwave Devastates Southern India
As the East Coast of the U.S. enters the period where we complain about the heat before the heat has even begun, southern India is in the midst of a heatwave so severe that 750 people have died in under five weeks.
Officials said on Tuesday that temperatures in the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states of India reached between 113 and 118 degrees Fahrenheit in April, resulting in the deaths of over 550 in the Andhra Pradesh and 215 in Telangana. Officials have been advising people to remain inside and stay as hydrated as possible as the heat intensifies.
The heatwave is expected to last for another week, when the upcoming monsoon season will offer limited relief. Via the AP:
Weather officials say the sweltering temperatures are likely to continue in southern India for at least another week. Monsoon rains, expected to arrive in the southern state of Kerala in the first week of June, should bring some respite. The monsoon season runs through September as the rains gradually cover the entire country.
According to DW.de, the intense heat has forced state administration in Andhra Pradesh to open “camps designed to provide drinking water and butter milk as a measure of protection against the severe heat conditions.”
