Two people die in southern India amid heat wave

A 90-year-old woman and a 53-year-old man died in the southern Indian state of Kerala from suspected heatstroke, local newspaper Hindu reported. The country is facing temperatures reaching record levels.

Thermometers registered 41.9 °C, almost 5.5 °C above normal.

“We have not yet confirmed whether these deaths were caused by heat waves. The medical process to examine the cases is underway,” said state disaster management official Shekhar Kuriakose in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

Scientists say climate change is contributing to more frequent, severe and longer heat waves during the summer months.

Authorities expected temperatures in Kerala, in India's far south, to be higher than normal, issuing warnings urging people to take precautions against the heat — including staying at home.

In the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu, a local politician distributed fresh fruits, coconuts and cold drinks in Chennai to help people cool off.

India's meteorological department has predicted more heatwave days than normal between April and June, when the monsoons arrive and temperatures typically drop.

In the eastern state of Odisha, thermometers registered 44.9 °C on Sunday (28), the highest value recorded in April. There, at least two people died this summer from heatstroke, said Odisha's public health director Niranjan Mishra.

In neighboring Bangladesh, authorities have again closed all primary schools in the country and educational institutions in almost half of the districts, including the capital. The strong heat wave caused temperatures to rise above 43 °C.

Still, for those who work outdoors, like rickshaw driver Mohammed Shameem in Dhaka, there isn't much rest.

“It is very difficult to work in the sun during a brutal heat wave. Not many people are going out, which means getting passengers is difficult, but we have no option but to go out and work,” Shameem said.