PHOTOs: Indian heatwave death toll soars to over 1,400

 

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Six children drown after jumping in to a reservoir in a desperate bid to cool down as Indian heatwave death toll soars to 1,400

  • Boys aged between eight and 14 jumped into water near Lower Manair Dam
  • They were desperate to cool down as temperatures soared to 48C (18F)
  • But they misjudged the depth, with only one of the group able to swim 
  • Police divers from nearby Karimnagar city were unable to save the boys
  • The news comes as the death toll from India’s heatwave continues to rise 

Six children have drowned in India after jumping into a huge reservoir in a desperate bid to cool down in the middle of a heatwave that has already claimed 1,400 lives.

The boys, aged between eight and 14, decided to go for a swim near the Lower Manair Dam, in the central Indian village of Alugunur after a game of cricket, as temperatures soared to 48C (118F).

Only one of the six children was able to swim properly and it is believed he was killed after jumping in to the water in order to save the rest of the group after they misjudged the depth of the water.

Protected: A woman walks along the road in the Indian city of Chandigarh with her entire head and face covered in a desperate bid to protect herself from the heatwave which has already claimed 1,400 lives 

Protected: A woman walks along the road in the Indian city of Chandigarh with her entire head and face covered in a desperate bid to protect herself from the heatwave which has already claimed 1,400 lives

Tragic: The boys, aged between eight and 14, decided to go for a swim near the Lower Manair Dam, in the central Indian village of Alugunur after a game of cricket, as temperatures soared to 48C (118F)

Tragic: The boys, aged between eight and 14, decided to go for a swim near the Lower Manair Dam, in the central Indian village of Alugunur after a game of cricket, as temperatures soared to 48C (118F)

Grief: The six children drowned after jumping into a huge reservoir in a desperate bid to cool down in the middle of a heatwave that has already claimed 1,400 lives

Grief: The six children drowned after jumping into a huge reservoir in a desperate bid to cool down in the middle of a heatwave that has already claimed 1,400 lives

No hope: Only one of the six children was able to swim properly and it is believed he was killed after jumping in to the water in order to save the rest of the group after they misjudged the depth of the water

No hope: Only one of the six children was able to swim properly and it is believed he was killed after jumping in to the water in order to save the rest of the group after they misjudged the depth of the water

Mistake: The boys were swimming in this reservoir near the Alugunur village but misjudged the water's depth

Mistake: The boys were swimming in this reservoir near the Alugunur village but misjudged the water’s depth

Local police identified the dead schoolboys as Yachamaneni Pratheesh, 13; his 10-year-old brother Pradyumna; twins Juvvadi and Suhith Soumith, both eight; Joginapalli Shiva Sai, 14; and Danaboina Sai Srijan Reddy, also 14.

Police inspector G. Narender from the neaby city of Karimnagar, said that the incident occurred at about 8am yesterday and that only Joginapalli Shiva Sai was able to swim properly.

Boinapalli Rohan, a friend of the group who decided not to join them for a swim, alerted their boys’ parents, who called the police.

Expert divers were sent to the scene but were unable to save anybody. The divers took three hours to recover the bodies, with joint funerals scheduled for the weekend.

The deaths come as it emerged that the heatwave currently blasting India has claimed the lives of more than 1,400 people over the past month.

Loss: The boys were desperate to cool down as temperatures soared to 48C (18F). But they tragically misjudged the depth of the water, with only one of the group able to swim

Loss: The boys were desperate to cool down as temperatures soared to 48C (18F). But they tragically misjudged the depth of the water, with only one of the group able to swim

In vain: Expert divers were sent to the scene but were unable to save anybody. The divers took three hours to recover the bodies, with joint funerals scheduled for the weekend

In vain: Expert divers were sent to the scene but were unable to save anybody. The divers took three hours to recover the bodies, with joint funerals scheduled for the weekend

Horror: Police inspector G. Narender from the neaby city of Karimnagar, said that the incident occurred at about 8am yesterday and that only Joginapalli Shiva Sai was able to swim properly

Horror: Police inspector G. Narender from the neaby city of Karimnagar, said that the incident occurred at about 8am yesterday and that only Joginapalli Shiva Sai was able to swim properly

Crowds gathered: Expert divers were sent to the scene but were unable to save anybody. The divers took three hours to recover the bodies, with joint funerals scheduled for the weekend

Crowds gathered: Expert divers were sent to the scene but were unable to save anybody. The divers took three hours to recover the bodies, with joint funerals scheduled for the weekend

Meteorological officials said the heatwave is said to last several more days – scorching crops, killing wildlife and endangering anyone working outdoors.

Officials warned people to stay out of the sun, cover their heads and drink plenty of water, but poverty forces many Indians to work despite the risks.

‘Either we have to work, putting our lives under threat, or we go without food,’ farmer Narasimha said in the badly hit Nalgonda district of southern Andhra Pradesh state.

‘But we stop work when it becomes unbearable.’

In the city of Nizamabad, 93 miles north of the state capital of Hyderabad, construction workers were also still on the job.

‘If I don’t work due to the heat, how will my family survive?’ said Mahalakshmi, who earns a daily wage of about $3.10.

Most of the 1,412 heat-related deaths so far have occurred in Telangana and neighboring Andhra Pradesh, where temperatures have soared up to 48C (118F), according to government figures.

India’s heat wave claims the lives of more than 1400

An Indian child pours cold water over his head in a desperate bid to cool down in New Delhi this morning

An Indian child pours cold water over his head in a desperate bid to cool down in New Delhi this morning

Cooling off: Indian children bathe in a tube-well on the outskirts of New Delhi earlier this morning

Cooling off: Indian children bathe in a tube-well on the outskirts of New Delhi earlier this morning

Boys sit in a plastic container filled with water as they cool themselves at a farm near Ahmedabad today

Boys sit in a plastic container filled with water as they cool themselves at a farm near Ahmedabad today

Blast: A mirage shimmers over Raphath leading to India Gate in New Delhi earlier this morning. As many as 1,400 people are now believed to have died as a result of the month-long heatwave roasting India

Blast: A mirage shimmers over Raphath leading to India Gate in New Delhi earlier this morning. As many as 1,400 people are now believed to have died as a result of the month-long heatwave roasting India

Searing: Meteorological officials said the heatwave is said to last several more days - scorching crops, killing wildlife and endangering anyone working outdoors 

Searing: Meteorological officials said the heatwave is said to last several more days – scorching crops, killing wildlife and endangering anyone working outdoors

Sleepy: An elderly man takes a nap under a tree near the India Gate in New Delhi today

Sleepy: An elderly man takes a nap under a tree near the India Gate in New Delhi today

Men sleep on a temporary shade built over a drain next to a slum in the heat of New Delhi's summer today

Men sleep on a temporary shade built over a drain next to a slum in the heat of New Delhi’s summer today

A boy carries a watermelon that was kept in the waters of a canal to keep the melons cool in Jammu today

A boy carries a watermelon that was kept in the waters of a canal to keep the melons cool in Jammu today

Among the most vulnerable to the headwave are the elderly and the poor, many of whom live in slums or farm huts with no access to air conditioners or sometimes even shade-giving trees.

Those who were able were heeding the government’s advice to avoid the outdoors.

‘With so many people dying due to the heat, we are locking the children inside,’ teacher Satyamurthy said in Khammam, which registered its highest temperature in 67 years on Saturday.

Cooling monsoon rains are expected to arrive next week in the southern state of Kerala and gradually advance north in coming weeks.

Until then, volunteers were passing out pouches of salted buttermilk or raw onions – both of which are believed to be hydrating. People were also seen using handkerchiefs and scarves to block searing winds and stifling air from their faces.

Newspapers devoted full pages to covering the heat wave and its effects, with headlines saying ‘Homeless bake in tin shelters’ and ‘birds & animals drop dead.’

Kind: Indian children hand free cold sweet water to a bus conductor on a street in New Delhi this morning

Kind: Indian children hand free cold sweet water to a bus conductor on a street in New Delhi this morning

Slight relief: Indian volunteers distribute free cold sweet water on a street in New Delhi earlier this morning

Slight relief: Indian volunteers distribute free cold sweet water on a street in New Delhi earlier this morning

Shelter: Commuters use umbrellas to avoid sunlight as temperatures hit 41C in Calcutta this morning

Shelter: Commuters use umbrellas to avoid sunlight as temperatures hit 41C in Calcutta this morning

In the shade: Rickshaw pullers take a rest on the street while temperatures reach 41C in Calcutta today

A zookeeper  sprays a female elephant with water at New Delhi zoological park earlier this morning

A zookeeper sprays a female elephant with water at New Delhi zoological park earlier this morning

Almost human: A monkey drinks water from a tap in the city of Jammu earlier this afternoon

Almost human: A monkey drinks water from a tap in the city of Jammu earlier this afternoon

Severe: Searing temperatures of up to 48 degrees Celcius have seen road surfaces start to melt in New Delhi, distorting the road markings 

Severe: Searing temperatures of up to 48 degrees Celcius have seen road surfaces start to melt in New Delhi, distorting the road markings

In cities like New Delhi, crowds of office workers gathered around stalls selling fruit drinks and iced water, while Sikhs in the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana distributed free glasses of rose-scented milk.

Across the country, teenagers flocked to water basins and rivers to cool off. Many adults took refuge atop woven cots in the shade.

Forecasting service AccuWeather described this as the most intense heat wave in India in recent years.

The death toll for Andhra Pradesh alone, at 1,360, was higher than during a 2003 heat wave when 1,300 died in what was then a unified state including both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Doctors were on alert for heat-related illness like sun stroke, and were telling people venturing outdoors to cover their heads and wear light, loose clothing, said health officer Sarojini in the city of Vishakapatnam who goes by one name, as is common in the region.

Telangana’s school board postponed the start date for colleges for a week from Monday.

The state also opened centers where cold water was being served, and changed the working hours for rural employment schemes, disaster management official Sada Bhargavi said.