Severe heatwave kills dozens of people due to heat stroke

Several other areas in India have also experienced severe heat waves, killing dozens of people. This summer is also considered one of the longest heat waves in recent Indian history.

Illustration photo. Photo: AP

Temperatures in three districts of the northern state of Bihar have reached 45 degrees Celsius in the past few days, killing nearly 50 people, according to local health officials.

This is an unusual development, especially the hot weather on the afternoon of June 15th, which caused many people to suffer heatstroke and had to go to the emergency room, and many died during the night. Currently, about 40% of the hospitalized patients are still being treated.

Many people said that the heat has greatly affected their lives: “We are living in a terrible situation. It is so hot, sometimes up to 50 degrees Celsius. We cannot leave the house or go anywhere because it is so hot.".

Bihar is not the only region in India suffering from severe heat. Large areas of northern India have also been experiencing more than two weeks of severe heat. In some places, such as the desert state of Rajasthan, temperatures have reached 50 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures in the capital New Delhi also reached 48 degrees Celsius, a record high in June. Many charities have set up free drinking water kiosks for people in the capital during the hot weather.

A charity organizer said: "This year the weather has been exceptionally hot. The temperatures in the past few days have been higher than the hottest time of last year. To help passersby, we have set up free drinking water booths to help them relieve fatigue in the intense heat."

In 2015, an unusual heat wave in India and Pakistan killed more than 3,500 people. In 2017, scientists said temperatures in South Asia, a region that accounts for one-fifth of the world’s population, could reach uninhabitable levels by the end of the century if drastic measures to slow global warming are not taken./.