"11 Election Management Staff Sacrificed Due to Heatwave"
5 Dead in Gas Explosion in Pakistan
In India, a severe heatwave lasting several days has resulted in at least 45 deaths due to heat-related illnesses.
According to local media on the 1st (local time), 19 people died in the eastern state of Odisha and 16 in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on the 30th and 31st of last month. Additionally, 5 people died in the eastern state of Bihar, and 4 and 1 people died in the northwestern state of Rajasthan and northern state of Punjab, respectively.
Residents in New Delhi, India, are receiving water through a water tanker truck. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Notably, among the deceased in Uttar Pradesh, 11 were election polling officers.
This brings the total number of deaths in northern India due to the heatwave lasting several days to 87.
An official from Mirzapur Medical College in Uttar Pradesh stated, "(At the university hospital) 13 people, including 8 election polling officers, were recorded to have died from the heatwave on the 31st of last month," adding, "All of the deceased were over 50 years old and suffered from conditions such as high fever, hypertension, and diabetes."
Health authorities are conducting investigations to accurately determine the correlation between the cause of death and the heatwave.
India has been experiencing a severe heatwave for several days. The capital, New Delhi, recorded a maximum daytime temperature of 45.4 degrees Celsius on the 31st of last month. On the 29th, the suburban Mungeshpur temperature monitoring station recorded a daytime temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius, but meteorological authorities are investigating the possibility of sensor malfunction at the station.
This is the first time New Delhi's daytime temperature has exceeded 50 degrees Celsius. It broke the previous day's record of 49.9 degrees Celsius, setting a new high within a day.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated, "The reading from the Mungeshpur station is extremely unusual compared to other stations," and added, "It could be due to sensor error or local factors." They further explained, "Other stations recorded New Delhi's maximum temperature ranging from 45.2 to 49.2 degrees Celsius."
Amid this unprecedented heatwave, water shortages have occurred across India, and increased electricity consumption has led to frequent power supply interruptions and blackouts in some areas.
Indian authorities, concerned about water shortages caused by the heatwave, have proposed water supply measures and decided to impose fines on those who waste water.
While the India Meteorological Department expects the heatwave to continue through this week, the monsoon season began two days earlier than usual on the 30th of last month in Kerala, located in southern India.
In neighboring Pakistan, where the heatwave also persists, a gas explosion occurred at a shop in Hyderabad, the capital of the southern Sindh province, on the 30th of last month, killing at least 5 people and injuring 50.
The police are investigating the possible connection between the gas explosion and the heatwave, considering that the temperature exceeded 50 degrees Celsius on the day of the accident.
Meanwhile, India has been struggling with the scorching heat recently. Although summer temperatures in India have occasionally exceeded 50 degrees Celsius, such as in the desert town of Phalodi recording 51 degrees in 2016, experts analyze that climate change has caused heatwaves to become longer and more intense.
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