Heat wave kills 200 in India

More than 100 people were felled by a blazing heat wave on Friday alone in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh with the mercury hovering at 47 degrees Celsius at several places across the two states even as the death toll crossed 200 in the two states in the last three days.

Hospitals in Telangana reported a rush of patients with symptoms of sunstroke even as the Andhra government kept emergency medical teams on standby in all districts, reports The Times of India.

Officials issued warnings to people not to venture out during the day without guarding themselves against the heat.

As the temperature soared past the 45 degrees, the India Meteorological Department upgraded the heat wave warning to "severe", and forecast at least three more scorching days.

IMD officials feared the region would break its past record of maximum temperature -the highest day temperature ever recorded in AP and Telangana was 48.8 degrees in Vijayawada on May 11, 2002.

This is also the first time that so many people have died due to a heat wave in such a short span in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh -even when they were one entity