More than 50 people have died in India as a brutal heat spell continues to grip parts of the country.
The federal health ministry said there have been at least 56 confirmed heat strokes deaths and about 24,849 heatstroke cases reported
According to officials, around 33 people died in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh over the weekend while about 20 people died in Odisha (Orissa) state due to heat stroke
Many of these deaths were reported as India voted in the last phase of polling for its general election.
India’s National Centre for Disease Control calls heat strokes a “life-threatening” condition with a mortality rate of 40-64%.
This year, the temperatures have been record-breaking, with the country experiencing frequent, more intense and longer heatwaves.
However, India’s weather department says that temperatures are likely to fall in the coming days due to the onset on the monsoon.