Heatstroke kills at least 18 as parts of India hit 50C

At least 18 people have died from heatstroke as India continues to reel from the most intense heatwave ever with temperatures suspected to have crossed 50C.

- STUTI MISHRA

Ten people reportedly died in the eastern state of Odisha while seven died in Bihar. One died in Delhi on Thursday. Passengers fainted at the national capital’s airport during the scorching temperatures.

An Air India flight bound for San Francisco was delayed by 20 hours as some passengers collapsed waiting for it to take off after an eight-hour delay. The aircraft reportedly had no airconditioning. The deaths in Odisha were reported at a state hospital in the city of Rourkela in six hours until 8pm, The Indian Express said. Eight of them had already died when they were brought to the hospital and two died during treatment, the officials told the newspaper.

State authorities said they are investigating what caused the deaths but suspect the heatwave. “Some people had temperatures of 103 to 105 degrees fahrenheit,” Sudharani Pradhan, superintendent of the hospital, told the newspaper. “Since there is heatwave condition in the state, we suspect the deaths could be due to heat-related illness.”