Heat wave India 2015: More than 1,400 killed

A week long heat wave in India has claimed lives of more than 1,400 people.

At least 1,020 people have died in the heat wave in southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh. Another 340 have died in the neighboring state of Telangana. Other casualties are from the eastern states of West Bengal and Orissa, The Hindu reported.

India recorded its highest maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius at Angul in the state of Odisha on Monday, CNN has written quoting B.P. Yadav, director of the India Meteorological Department as saying.

The Times of India reported that the state governments in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have launched campaigns in villages asking them to wear light clothes, not step out of their homes between 9 and 4 pm unless absolutely necessary.

Among the most vulnerable were the elderly and the poor, many of whom live in slums or farm huts with no access to air conditioners or sometimes even shade-giving trees, The Huffington Post reported.

The meteorological department has issued “red box” warnings for Odisha, Jharkhand and coastal Andhra Pradesh.

According to Hindustan Times, recent heat wave in India has been mainly triggered by an abrupt end to pre-monsoon showers and missing storms.

In all, nearly 20,000 people have died of the heat in India since 1990.

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