奇速英语

印度热浪致800人死亡

At least 800 people are reported to have died in a heatwave sweeping India, with temperatures reaching 48℃ (118℉) in some areas.

Most deaths have taken place in the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where more than 140 people have died since Saturday. Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh recorded 48℃while temperatures rose to above 44℃ (111℉) in the capital, Delhi. Authorities have urged people to stay indoors and drink plenty of fluids.

Heatwave conditions have been frequent in the two worst-affected southern Indian states since mid-April, but most of the deaths have happened in the past week. The worst-hit state has been Andhra Pradesh where 246 people have died. State officials said 62 people died of sunstroke on Sunday. While in the 10 districts in neighboring Telangana state, the heatwave had killed 186 people in, with 58 people dying since Saturday.

Residents of Nalgonda in India’s newly-formed state of Telangana are used to high temperatures during the summer months. But the intensity of this heatwave has left businessman Ravinder Reddy confined to his house for a full week. “Two of my employees are in hospital due to heat strokes,” he told the BBC.

Ahmed Pasha, who cultivates 12 acres of land, says there is no water in the well or in the bore-hole. “It has all gone so dry that more than 50% of the grass that I had grown for the buffaloes and the goats has dried up,” he said.

“The majority of the victims are people who have been exposed to the sun directly, usually aged 50 and above and from the working classes,” said Tulsi Rani, special commissioner of Andhra Pradesh’s disaster management department. “We are asking them to take precautions like using an umbrella, using a cap, taking a huge quantity of liquids like water and buttermilk, and wearing cotton clothing,” he added.

The meteorological department said the excessively hot weather was likely to continue for a few more days.