A total of 98 individuals have tragically lost their lives over the past three days in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, due to the severe heatwave gripping the region, said the official sources on Sunday.
As temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in various parts of India, 54 deaths were recorded in northern Uttar Pradesh, while eastern Bihar witnessed 44 fatalities.
In Uttar Pradesh, all 54 deaths were concentrated in the Ballia district, where an additional 400 people have been admitted to the district hospital for medical treatment.
Dr. SK Yadav, the Medical Superintendent, confirmed the deaths to the local media and stated that a team from the state capital, Lucknow, would be dispatched to investigate the matter.
The team will assess whether other underlying diseases contributed to these fatalities, as many of the patients had pre-existing conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, according to Yadav.
On Saturday, Ballia district recorded a scorching maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius (109F), exacerbating the challenging conditions for the residents.
In the eastern state of Bihar, an additional 44 people succumbed to the intense heatwave.
Among the 44 deaths, 35 individuals lost their lives in the city of Patna alone, as reported by a local media. The remaining nine fatalities were recorded in other districts of the state.
Patna, the capital of Bihar, experienced a blistering maximum temperature of 44.7 degrees Celsius (112F) on Friday, while temperatures in 11 other districts surpassed 44 degrees Celsius.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Bihar and predicted heatwave conditions in several other states across India.
To mitigate the impact of the scorching summer, many states have extended summer vacation periods in schools.
