New Delhi, June 20, 2023 (PPI-OT): The severe heat waves have claimed nearly 100 lives in India in the past week. A media report citing officials said, nearly 100 people in two heavily populated Indian states have lost their lives since late last week due to unusually high temperatures.

The report by the Associated Press said although this summer hasn’t broken last year’s scorching records, India has been grappling with sweltering conditions leading up to the monsoon season. In June, temperatures in certain regions reached 46°C (approximately 115°F), exacerbated by high humidity. Even moderately high temperatures can prove fatal in such conditions, it said.

As per media reports, in the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh state, deaths have reached 54 in the past three days, after temperatures soared to 43°C and 44°C in the area. However, officials have presented varying explanations, with state authorities stating a lack of “solid evidence” linking the deaths to the heat. A panel has been established to investigate the matter. The chief medical superintendent of the Ballia District Hospital was reportedly removed from his position after as he had attributed the deaths to heatstroke, the Indian media reported. The reports said that the neighbouring state of Bihar reported 42 deaths in the past two days.

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