Doctors warn India’s elderly to stay indoors amid dozens of deaths from extreme heat
- Warnings issued after dozens of elderly people with health conditions exacerbated by the intense heat died in Uttar Pradesh over 48 hours
- India Meteorological Department data showed a maximum temperature of 42.2°C in the region on Friday, which is 4.7°C above normal
At least 34 people have died in the past two days as a large swathe of the North Indian state Uttar Pradesh swelters under severe heat, officials said on Saturday, prompting doctors to advise residents over 60 to stay indoors during the daytime.
The dead were all over 60 years old and had pre-existing health conditions that may have been exacerbated by the intense heat. The fatalities occurred in the Ballia district, some 300km (200 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh.
Twenty-three deaths were reported on Thursday and another 11 died on Friday, Ballia’s Chief Medical Officer Jayant Kumar said.
“All the individuals were suffering from some ailments and their conditions worsened due to the extreme heat,” Kumar said on Saturday. He said most of the deaths were because of heart attack, brain stroke and diarrhoea.
Diwakar Singh, another medical officer, said these people were admitted to Ballia’s main hospital in a critical condition. “Elderly people are vulnerable to extreme heat too,” he said.
India Meteorological Department data shows Ballia reported a maximum temperature of 42.2 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday, which is 4.7C (8F) above normal.