India Faces Heatwave Near 50 Degrees Celsius... Death Toll Rises

9 Heatstroke Deaths Reported on the 24th Alone

The highest temperature in Rajasthan, northwestern India, approached 50 degrees Celsius, resulting in a surge of deaths due to the heatwave.

Cracks on the dry bed of the Sindphana River due to drought.
Photo by AP Yonhap News

On the 24th (local time), Indian local media reported that the highest temperature in Rajasthan on the 23rd reached 49 degrees Celsius, causing nine deaths. A 60-year-old man died while working in a field, and a singer lost consciousness and collapsed while singing at a pilgrimage site, among the nine people who died from heatstroke that day.

Rajasthan has experienced a heatwave for the past 10 days. The meteorological agency warned that the daytime high temperature could continue to rise to 49 degrees and urged people to avoid going out and to take care of their health.

Not only in this region but also in at least 16 areas including Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, the highest temperature on that day rose to 45 degrees Celsius.

Earlier this month, a mid-level politician campaigning in India fainted due to the heatwave, and voter turnout also decreased. Last month, a TV anchor in Kolkata, northeastern India, fainted while delivering the weather news. At that time, the temperature in Kolkata exceeded 43 degrees Celsius. Additionally, it was confirmed that the TV studio was very hot due to air conditioning failure.

The situation in Punjab province of Pakistan, adjacent to Rajasthan, is similar. Due to the heatwave, summer vacation was moved up by a week, starting from the 25th. The Pakistan Disaster Management Authority explained that temperatures in Punjab are 6 to 8 degrees higher than average. Three heatwaves are predicted in Pakistan this year. Besides the ongoing heatwave, two more heatwaves are expected in early and late next month.