At least 166 people have died in two of India’s most populous states over recent days as swathes of the country are hit by a heatwave, officials have said.
In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, 119 people have died from heat-related illnesses over the last several days while in neighboring Bihar state 47 people have died, according to local news reports and health officials.
The largest hospital in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh is unable to accommodate more patients, officials said, and its morgue was overwhelmed after 54 people died due to the heat. Some families were asked to take the bodies of their relatives home.
Authorities warned residents aged over 60 to stay indoors -but there has been criticism of the time taken for the Government to issue warnings about the heat.
Adding to the heat stress are consistent power outages across the region, leaving people with no running water, fans or air conditioners.
SK Yadav, a medical officer in Ballia, said some 300 patients were admitted to hospital in the past three days.
Authorities cancelled leave applications of medical personnel.
While northern regions of India are known for sweltering heat during the summer months, temperatures have been consistently above normal, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.
The district experienced a high of 43C on Sunday, surpassing the normal range by 5C.
Among the fatalities in Bihar, 35 occurred at two hospitals in the state capital of Patna where over 200 patients suffering from diarrhea and vomiting were being treated. Patna recorded a maximum temperature of 44.7C on Saturday.
RS Pathak, a resident of Ballia who lost his father on Saturday, said he witnessed an increased flow of patients at the hospital’s emergency ward while attending to his father.
“This has never happened in Ballia. I have never seen people dying because of the heat in such large numbers,” he said. “People fear venturing out. The roads and markets are largely deserted.”
