Heat conditions continues unabated in northern plains, claiming hundreds of lives in what is believed to be the hottest summer in India since records began in the late 1800s. According to a report by The Guardian, more than 100 people are reported to have died in the state of Gujarat where the mercury topped at 48.5C last week. The death toll is expected to rise with experts forecasting temperatures approaching 50C (122F) in coming weeks.
Vehicles are seen through a mirage on a highway on a hot summer afternoon in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, May 5, 2011.Many parts of India are experiencing temperatures above 40 degrees celsius (104 Fahrenheit.) (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Women laborer walk across a dried portion of the Sabarmati river, in Ahmadabad, India, Thursday, May 19, 2011. Heat wave continued in Northern India with maximum temperature rising to about 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees F). (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)