Heatwave toll hits 36 in India

A heatwave gripping India has killed 36 people with the poorest workers bearing the brunt, national disaster management officials said yesterday, warning that the record temperatures were impacting more states than in previous years.

India's capital Delhi recorded its highest-ever temperature of 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, while Churu in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, temperatures reached as high as 51C.

"This is the worst heatwave ever. In 2015, the heatwave was recorded in nine states, this year the forecast is 23," said Anup Kumar Srivastava, drought and heatwave expert at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).