About 170 people have died India in recent days amid a sweltering heatwave, authorities say.
119 people in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, and 47 in neighbouring Bihar have died from heat-related illnesses over the last several days, The Associated Press news agency reported on Monday citing local media and health officials.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), temperatures in recent days reached 43.5 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit).
IMD issued a red warning last week for extreme heat in some states of the country, including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
“We have been issuing heatwave warnings for the past few days,” Aljazeera quoted Atul Kumar Singh, a scientist at the IMD, as saying
According to report hospitals in Uttar Pradesh was overwhelmed with patients and is unable to accommodate all, officials said.
Despite the warnings, government officials did not ask people to brace for the heat until Sunday, when the death toll began to increase.
