Heat waves are ravaging India – and things are about to get worse - 61 people have died

Even in a country so accustomed to spells of searing heat, India has been grappling with temperatures that have seen the mercury rise to increasingly unbearable heights – and with fatal consequences.

Delhi recorded close to 50C (122F) in May, while the heat wave sweeping across other states in northern India has taken a substantial toll on the nation’s election workers. According to experts, rising summer temperatures are here to stay.

As many as 61 people have died due to the current heat wave, including 33 on election duty  and a voter in Uttar Pradesh (UP), India’s most populous state, as well as eight on election duty in neighboring Bihar. The Health Ministry confirmed 56 heat-related deaths in the country by May 30, 46 of which had happened in that month alone.