Respite after Indian heatwave kills 1,400
Monsoon rains finally hit the southern coast of India today, bringing respite from a scorching heatwave that killed at least 1,438 people in the past three weeks.
No new deaths were reported today in the worst-affected southern state of Andhra Pradesh, which alone accounted for 1,317 deaths, said State Relief Commissioner D.C. Roshaiah.
Other deaths have been reported in the northern and eastern parts of the country, including an Australian woman who died on Saturday of heat stroke while travelling on a crowded train in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, Press Trust of India news agency said.
Jane Kelly, from Sydney, was travelling with a friend to the Hindu holy town of Varanasi when she fell ill and was taken to a hospital in Jhansi where she died.
Meanwhile, thousands of people were recuperating from sunstroke and dehydration in hospitals in Andhra Pradesh, where temperatures dropped from a peak of 49 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit).
The monsoon travels north from southern Kerala state and west from north eastern India over a four-month period, but it could be a week before the rains reach Andhra Pradesh.
Several north eastern states located along the Himalayan foothills have been experiencing monsoon showers since Friday.
In northern India, including the capital New Delhi, temperatures have fallen following a dust storm.
New Delhi recorded a temperature of 42.2 degrees Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) on Saturday after a peak on June 4 of 45.6 degrees Celsius (114 Fahrenheit), the hottest in five years, the local meteorological office said.
