“Most of them died on Saturday night and some on Sunday morning during treatment.
Dozens of Indians have been killed by ‘severe heat’ in Bihar as the country is facing the third week of searing temperatures.
According to AFP, the deaths occurred in three districts of the poor northern state, where temperatures have hovered around 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).
A senior health official, Vijay Kumar told AFP that another forty-nine people were killed as drought hit Magadh region of the country.
It was also reported that most of the victims are aged above 50.
“It was a sudden development on Saturday afternoon. People affected by heatstroke were rushed to different hospitals. “Most of them died on Saturday night and some on Sunday morning during treatment.
“Patients affected by heat stroke are still being brought, the death toll is likely to increase if the heatwave continues,” Kumar said.
Twenty-seven people died in Aurangabad district, 15 in Gaya and seven in Nawada district, officials said.
State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced a compensation of 400,000 rupees ($5,700) for the family of each victim.
Harsh Vardhan, India’s health minister, said people should not leave their homes until temperatures fall.
“Intense heat affects the brain and leads to various health issues,” he said.
In 2017, researchers said South Asia, which is home to one-fifth of the world’s population, could see heat levels rise to unsurvivable levels by the end of the century if no action is taken on global warming.