At least 33 people, including on-duty election officials, died on Friday from suspected heatstroke in the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, and the heat wave in the region is expected to continue until Saturday, officials said.
India has been experiencing an extremely hot summer and part of the capital, Delhi, this week recorded the highest temperature ever recorded in the country at 52.9 degrees Celsius (127.22°F), although this may be revised and the department Weather will check the sensors of the weather station that recorded the reading.
While temperatures in northwest and central India are expected to drop in the coming days, the prevailing heatwave in eastern India is likely to continue for two days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. ), which declares a heat wave when the temperature is 4.5 C to 6.4 C higher than normal.
Fourteen people died in Bihar on Thursday, officials said, including 10 people involved in organizing the seven-phase national elections that are currently underway. Typically, many election officials must remain on duty all day, often outdoors.
Parts of Bihar will vote in the final round of elections on Saturday.
In India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, at least nine election staff, including security officers, died on Friday, government officials said.
“When they were brought in they had high fever. It may also be due to heat stroke. Currently we are treating at least 23 people who have returned from election duty,” said RB Kamal, principal of the medical college where the staff are based. . treaties, he told reporters.
The world's most important elections and their grueling campaign have been affected by record summer temperatures. The last phase of voting is scheduled for Saturday and the votes will be counted on Tuesday.
Ten deaths were also reported at the government hospital in Odisha's Rourkela region on Thursday, authorities told Reuters, prompting the Odisha government to advise against outdoor activities between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. local time. when temperatures reach their peak.
Three people died from suspected heat stroke in the state of Jharkhand, neighboring Bihar, local media reported.
In Delhi, where high temperatures have caused wild birds and monkeys to faint or fall ill, the city zoo relies on pools and sprinklers to provide relief to its 1,200 occupants.
“We have moved to a summer control diet, which includes a more liquid diet as well as all seasonal fruits and vegetables that contain more water,” Sanjeet Kumar, director of the zoo, told news agency ANI.
Delhi, where the temperature was 45.4 C on Friday afternoon, recorded its first heat-related death this week and is facing severe water shortages.
Billions of people across Asia have been grappling with rising temperatures, a trend that scientists say has been worsened by human-driven climate change.
India's neighbor Pakistan has also seen an increase in wildfires as temperatures soar, reaching as high as 52.2C last week.
India is the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, but has set a goal of becoming a net zero emitter by 2070.
While the heat is affecting parts of the country, the northeastern states of Manipur and Assam have been hit by heavy rains after Cyclone Remal, with several areas flooded on Friday.
Monsoon rains also hit the coast of the southernmost state of Kerala on Thursday, two days earlier than expected.
