--- description: Temperatures as high as 118°F (48°C) have claimed over 400 lives title: Hundreds Killed as Blistering Heat Wave Sweeps Across India image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6e8decb4cf415dec/6988518906f2c10ce833a54e/474446332.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Hundreds Are Dying in a Blistering Heat Wave Sweeping Across India by [Rohit Inani / New Delhi](/author/rohit-inani/) ## Rohit Inani / New Delhi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 25, 2015 8:25 AM CUT  An Indian resident sleeps in the shade on a tricyle at the roadside in Hyderabad on May 22, 2015 An Indian resident sleeps in the shade on a tricyle at the roadside in Hyderabad on May 22, 2015Noah Seelam—AFP/Getty Images by [Rohit Inani / New Delhi](/author/rohit-inani/) ## Rohit Inani / New Delhi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 25, 2015 8:25 AM CUT An intense heat wave that has driven daytime temperatures as high as 118°F (48°C) in parts of India has claimed over 400 lives. The toll is the highest in the southeastern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, according to the _Hindustan Times_ newspaper, which [cited](http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-reels-under-intense-heat-wave-dozens-dead-in-ap-telangana/article1-1350663.aspx "undefined") an official from Andhra Pradesh’s disaster-management department, who said the state had recorded nearly 250 deaths between Wednesday and Sunday. In Telangana, state authorities reported [186](http://www.ptinews.com/news/6066694%5FHeat-wave-continues--death-toll-rises-to-368-nbsp--.html "undefined") heat-related deaths since mid-April, with most being [reported](http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-reels-under-intense-heat-wave-dozens-dead-in-ap-telangana/article1-1350663.aspx "undefined") in recent days as temperatures spiked across the region. The highest reading was in Telangana’s Khamman district, where the temperature [rose](http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-reels-under-intense-heat-wave-dozens-dead-in-ap-telangana/article1-1350663.aspx "undefined") to 118°F on Sunday. “Almost all the victims are old. Inquiries reveal that most of them were working and were exposed to the heat. Dehydration and heat stroke caused the deaths,” B.R. Meena, a senior Telangana state official, [told](http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/heat-wave-claims-elderly-daily-wagers-in-ap-and-telangana/ "undefined") the _Indian Express_ newspaper. “Elderly people, laborers, beggars and people living on the streets are worst hit,” K.E. Krishna Murthy, revenue minister in neighboring Andhra Pradesh, told the paper. The mercury has also climbed in the country’s capital, New Delhi, where temperatures soared to 110.3°F (43.5°C) on Sunday. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3895471/hundreds-are-dying-in-a-blistering-heat-wave-sweeping-across-india/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3895471/hundreds-are-dying-in-a-blistering-heat-wave-sweeping-across-india/"},"headline":"Hundreds Are Dying in a Blistering Heat Wave Sweeping Across India","datePublished":"2015-05-25T08:25:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:36:03.916Z","description":"Temperatures are highest in the southeast of the country","url":"https://time.com/3895471/hundreds-are-dying-in-a-blistering-heat-wave-sweeping-across-india/","keywords":["India","Heatwave","South Asia"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6e8decb4cf415dec/6988518906f2c10ce833a54e/474446332.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rohit Inani / New Delhi"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6e8decb4cf415dec/6988518906f2c10ce833a54e/474446332.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"INDIA-WEATHER-HEAT","caption":"INDIA-WEATHER-HEAT","creditText":"Noah Seelam—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3895471/hundreds-are-dying-in-a-blistering-heat-wave-sweeping-across-india/","name":"Hundreds Are Dying in a Blistering Heat Wave Sweeping Across India"}}]}] ```