At least 50 deaths blamed on India heat wave in just a week

At least 29 people died of suspected heat stroke in the eastern states of Bihar and Odisha on Thursday, where temperatures over 113 degrees were recorded.

In the eastern state of Jharkhand, at least four people died due to heat-related symptoms on Thursday when the mercury rose to over 117 degrees. 

In the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, at least five people, including two children aged 12 and 14 years, died due to suspected heat stroke, and in the western state of Rajasthan, more than half of which is covered by the Thar desert, at least eight people, including two newborns, died of heat-related symptoms, according to Dr Ravi Prakash Mathur, the state's public health director.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that severe heat wave conditions will continue in eastern parts of the country for some time and it issued a "red alert" for the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, urging people to avoid heat exposure, CBS News reported.

Last year, severe heat waves killed more than 100 people in India and neighboring Pakistan in April and May alone. The scorching temperatures also destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of crops, affecting millions of people in India's vast agriculture sector.

MP/PR