Wilting Conditions Continue In India, Death Toll Reaches 1,400

By M.Santhiran NEW DELHI, May 28 (Bernama) -- Wilting conditions across large parts of northern India in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha will likely to continue in the next few days with the number of people killed due to heat waves already reaching 1,400. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted the temperatures were likely to drop over the weekends and only few places in the state of Odisha were left in the 'red zone' where severe heat wave conditions are expected to continue for the next few days. "These states will see temperatures drop by about two degrees from Thursday onwards even as the monsoon is set to advance on schedule," according to the All India weather warning bulletin issued by IMD. Meanwhile, according to officials here five deaths were reported Wednesday due to heatstroke. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh accounted for 1,345 of the total deaths, including 1,020 deaths recorded in Andhara Pradesh. Weather and medical experts attribute the large number of deaths in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to a sudden rise in temperature. Temperature in most parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, is hovering around 39 degrees celsius since begining of May and surged by three to four degrees, triggering death toll to rise drastically since May 21. The Hindu, a local daily reported that nearly 20,000 people have died of heat waves in India since 1990. The bulk of heat-related deaths are concentrated in five states, namely Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar. Those in the age group of 45-59 made up most of the victims, while men also accounted for over 80 per cent. --BERNAMA