Heatwave kills 3 as Andhra boils at 45 degrees, residents advised to stay in

Hyderabad, May 06: The woes of Andhra Pradesh state did not go away with Cyclone Fani which affected 733 villages in the state, on May 5 as the state is under the grip of a severe heatwave. According to report, a farmer couple died of sunstroke in Tallarevu mandal of East Godavari district on Sunday, officials said.

According to Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) of Andhra Pradesh, 52 places recorded maximum temperature above 45°C while in 127 places, it was above 44°C. Vijayawada was the hottest place with mercury rising to 45.6 degrees Celsius while Polavaram in West Godavari district recorded 45.5°C. More than 200 'mandals' or revenue blocks were reeling under severe heat wave conditions. Authorities have sounded an alert and advised people to take all precautions.

The IMD has warned that severe heat wave conditions will continue in parts of both the states till May 7. Many places in Telangana recorded maximum temperature of over 43°C. Bhadrachalam experienced intense heat at 44.8°C while it was 44.4°C in Ramagundam and 44°C in Nalgonda.

However, residents of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are not new to the heatwave, as both of these states suffered from one of the country's worst heatwave 4 years ago.

In 2015, the death toll of people due to heatwave crossed 2,000. As of now, the exact figure is not known. Between the summers of 2002-2003, the Telugu speaking states registered a death toll of 3,000.