Heatstroke kills 11 at India awards event

Eleven people died of heatstroke in India after an estimated one million spectators waited for hours in the sun at a government-sponsored awards ceremony, officials said yesterday.

Around 20 people were hospitalised and 300 felt ill at the event near the western city of Mumbai on Sunday, when temperatures hit close to 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) with high levels of humidity, local media reported.

Senior government officials attended the ceremony, including Interior Minister Amit Shah, who praised the crowd for waiting so long in the sun.

The office of Maharashtra state Chief Minister Eknath Shinde described it as a "sad and disturbing incident" and promised compensation for the victims' relatives.

India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party said around a million people attended the event, the Indian Express reported.