At least 11 dead from heat stroke in mass event in western India
New Delhi, Apr 17 (EFE).- At least 11 people died due to heat stroke in a ceremony attended by thousands of people in an open compound by authorities in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, according to official sources .
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reported late Sunday the deaths of at least 11 people who were treated for heat stroke after an event that took place in the afternoon in Navi Mumbai, a city adjacent to the financial hub of Mumbai.
The ceremony, attended by leaders such as Home Minister Amit Shah, was held in the open-air that lacked shaded spaces on a day when the mercury touched 38 degrees Celsius.
Weather authorities in India have forecast above-average temperatures for the next three months, as summer peaks across the country, with temperatures crossing 40 degrees Celsius in several parts.
International and environmental organizations have warned of a significant increase in temperatures in this country of more than 1.4 billion inhabitants, which poses the risk of drought and crop failure.
The World Weather Attribution initiative, which brings together climate experts from various institutions around the world, warned last year that the climate crisis makes early summer in India and Pakistan 30 times more likely. EFE
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