1,000 die in India heat

Temperatures in some places reached 50C

The death toll from the heat wave in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has now passed 1,000, according to the local authorities.

The state government said that reports from districts across the state had now been collated, bringing the current toll to 1,030 for the period 9-15 May.

It was too hot to work for these taxi drivers

The heat wave began earlier in May and at one point, the temperature soared to between 49C and 51C in some areas.

There was a brief respite last weekend when some rain fell, but the mercury has been rising again over the past three days.

The Andhra Pradesh relief commissioiner, DC Roshaiah, said he hoped there would no further deaths because the second phase of the heat wave had been less intense than before.

Hot winds

CV Bhadram, the head of the weather office in the state capital, Hyderabad, said the hot and dry conditions would continue for another two days as hot winds were continuing to blow in from northern India.

People have been warned not to go out during the hottest part of the day.

Few heat waves have lasted as long or been as intense as the one affecting Andhra Pradesh, and local officials said people were simply not used to such temperatures.

The most vulnerable have been the elderly or those with pre-existing medical conditions.

Heat-related deaths have also been reported from other parts of India, as well as in neighbouring Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Reports from the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, said the toll over the past two days had reached 45.