Record 51C heat hits India
Temperatures have soared to a scorching 51 degrees Celsius in one Indian city, meteorologists said yesterday, with the ferocious heat setting a new national record.
Northern Phalodi wilted as the mercury reached a new high, equivalent to 123.8 Fahrenheit, beating a 60-year-old record. "Yesterday (Thursday) was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country... 51 degrees in Phalodi," said B P Yadav, a director of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Hundreds of people die every year from the heat in India, with May and June usually the hottest months.
The latest record high came as the IMD issued warnings of "severe heat wave" conditions across large parts of India's north and west, including the capital Delhi, where temperatures hit 47 degrees Celsius earlier this week.
Zoo animals in the capital were treated to cold baths and given electrolytes to prevent dehydration.
Demand for electricity in the city of 25 million people surged to a record high on Thursday as sweltering residents turned on their air conditioners.
Police officers on the beat were given oral rehydration solution and special "cooling scarves" containing water-absorbent crystals to keep their body temperature down, local papers reported.
The capital's hospitals have seen a spike in cases of heatstroke, while authorities in many states have ordered schools to break for summer earlier than normal due to the heatwave.
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