At least 34 people have died in the past two days from the heat wave in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, officials say. On Friday, the mercury rose to a whopping 42.2 degrees Celsius. Doctors advise residents over 60 to stay indoors during the day to protect themselves from the extreme temperatures.
Extreme heat has hit much of Uttar Pradesh, killing at least 34 people in the past two days. The deceased were all over the age of 60 and had pre-existing health problems. “Their condition worsened due to the extreme heat,” regional chief physician Jayant Kumar told the AP news agency.
The deaths were all reported in Ballia, a district in Uttar Pradesh. On Thursday, Kumar spoke of 23 deaths, another 11 on Friday. He said most of the deaths were due to heart attacks, cerebral infarctions and diarrhoea.
On Friday, Ballia had to deal with a maximum temperature of 42.2 degrees Celsius. That is 4.7 degrees above the normal maximum temperature in the region. The intense heat this summer is also accompanied by power outages across the state, leaving residents without running water, fans and air conditioning. That is why many residents have started protesting.
Yogi Adityanath, minister in BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) assured the public that the government is taking all necessary measures to provide uninterrupted power to the region. He also called for cooperation between citizens and the government and for the sensible use of electricity.
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