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Hundreds of people have died over the past week in India due to a heat wave that has swept the country, reaching a staggering sum of at least 800 deaths on Monday.
Hospitals are on alert to treat people and authorities are advising people to stay indoors as much as possible. as well as drinking enough water and not going outside without a protective gear, such as a cap and sun-blocking cream.
The forecast is for a continuing “heatwave to severe heatwave” for the rest of the month, experts announced.
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Most of the recorded deaths are primarily from heatstroke and extreme dehydration, and have happened in rural areas in the south of the country.
The state of Andhra Pradesh has been the worst hit, with 551 people dead, followed by the neighboring Telangana state has registered 231 victims.
New Delhi, India's capital city, registered record-high temperatures on Monday, reaching 45.5 degrees Celsius, equivalent to about 114 Farenheit.
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The heat has been so intense that road paint has melted into the asphalt in different main roads.
Across the country, there were power cuts as India’s inadequate electricity networks were pushed to their limits by the record demand, driving people into shopping malls which usually have their own power generators.
A monsoon is expected to enter the southern coastline of India by May 31, and its expected to help reduce the high temperatures.
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