NEW DELHI – Severe heat has left dozens dead over a 24-hour period inIndia’s Bihar state, as the country enters the third week of searingtemperatures, officials said on Sunday.
The deaths occurred in three districts of the poor northern state, wheretemperatures have hovered around 45 degrees Celsius [113 Fahrenheit] inrecent days, senior health official Vijay Kumar told AFP.
Forty-nine people died in three districts of the Magadh region that hasbeen hit by drought, he said. “It was a sudden development on Saturdayafternoon. People affected by heatstroke were rushed to differenthospitals,” Kumar added.
“Most of them died on Saturday night and some on Sunday morning duringtreatment.”
Kumar said about 40 more people were being treated at a government-runhospital in Aurangabad.
“Patients affected by heat stroke are still being brought, the death tollis likely to increase if the heatwave continues.”
Most of the victims were aged above 50 and were rushed to hospitals in asemi-conscious state with symptoms of high fever, diarrhoea and vomiting.Twenty-seven people died in Aurangabad district, 15 in Gaya and seven inNawada district, officials said.
State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced a compensation of 400,000Indian rupees [$5,700] for the family of each victim.
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Harsh Vardhan, India’s health minister, said people should not leave theirhomes until temperatures fall. “Intense heat affects the brain and leads tovarious health issues,” he said.
Large parts of northern India have endured more than two weeks ofsweltering heat.
Temperatures have risen above 50 degrees Celsius [122 Fahrenheit] in thedesert state of Rajasthan.
A heatwave in 2015 left more than 3,500 dead in India and Pakistan.
In 2017, researchers said South Asia, which is home to one-fifth of theworld’s population, could see heat levels rise to unsurvivable levels bythe end of the century if no action is taken on global warming. -APP/AFP
