96 people die in sweltering heat wave

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — At least 96 people have died in two of India’s most populous states in recent days, authorities said Sunday, as swathes of the country are gripped by a sweltering heat wave.

The deaths occurred in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and eastern Bihar, where authorities warned residents over the age of 60 and others suffering from various illnesses to stay indoors during the day.

All of the Uttar Pradesh fatalities, 54 in total, were in Ballia district, some 300 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the state capital. Authorities found that most of the deceased were over the age of 60 and suffered from pre-existing conditions, which may have been aggravated by the intense heat.

SK Yadav, Ballia’s medical officer, said some 300 patients had been admitted to the district hospital for various ailments aggravated by heat in the past three days.

Due to the seriousness of the situation, authorities canceled furlough applications for Ballia’s medical staff and provided additional hospital beds in the emergency room to accommodate the influx of patients.

Most of the admitted patients are older than 60 and have symptoms of high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, breathing difficulties and heart problems, according to authorities.

RS Pathak, a Ballia resident who lost his father on Saturday, said he witnessed an increased flow of patients at the hospital emergency room while treating his father.

“This has never happened in Ballia. He had never seen so many people die from the heat,” she noted. “People are afraid to go out. The roads and markets are practically deserted”.

Ballia, along with central and eastern Uttar Pradesh, is enduring oppressive heat.

On Sunday, the district recorded a maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit), five degrees above the normal range. The relative humidity was 25%, which intensified the effect of heat.

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Associated Press writer Indrajit Singh in Patna, India contributed to this report.