Hyderabad: A brutal heatwave sweeping across Telangana has claimed at least 34 lives as temperatures continued to soar above 46 degrees Celsius in several districts, triggering widespread distress and prompting red alerts from weather authorities.
Extreme temperatures were recorded in 244 mandals across the state on Friday, with Sirpur (T) in Asifabad district emerging as the hottest location at 46.5 degrees Celsius.
Among the victims were elderly residents, agricultural workers, daily wage labourers and students. Adilabad district recorded the highest number of deaths, while fatalities were also reported from Peddapalli, Sangareddy, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Warangal, Mahabubabad, Nalgonda and Khammam districts.
22 lives lost on Thursday
The deadly conditions follow another grim day earlier in the week, when at least 22 people reportedly died across Telangana on Thursday, May 21, highlighting the escalating impact of the ongoing heatwave.
In Mahabubabad district, three people lost their lives — Kesa Lachamma, 89, from Kotha Irsulapuram village, woman farmer Gugulothu Amrutha, 54, from Hanumannagar Thanda, and Gade Komuramma, 95, from Kalvala village in Kesamudram mandal.
In Hanamkonda district, 25-year-old Gannoj Anil from Keshavapur village in Elkathurthi mandal reportedly died of sunstroke. Agricultural labourer Nampalli Sakkamma, 58, from Mogullapalli mandal in Bhupalpally district and Dudapaka Pochayya, 60, a resident of Kazipet originally from Chityal mandal, also succumbed to the heat.
Mulugu district witnessed multiple deaths, including 85-year-old Madari Laxmi from Eturunagaram mandal and an unidentified woman, believed to be around 55 years old, who was found collapsed near the Mulugu bus stand. Yakoob Pasha, 45, from Bagirthipeta village in Regonda mandal, also lost his life.
Among the youngest victims was 17-year-old Intermediate student Bommidi Venkatesh from Siripuram village in Nadigudem mandal of Suryapet district. Charlapalli Somaiah, 65, a hamali working at a paddy procurement centre in Tungaturthi, also died amid the severe heat conditions.
Other reported fatalities included Beedimadla Ramulu, 70, from Munugode mandal in Nalgonda district; Cherukuri Rajalingam, 75, from Yadadri Bhuvanagiri; MD Chand Bee, 61, and Dasari Rajaiah, 62, from Old Mancherial; Kondareddy, 75, from Jogulamba Gadwal; Prabhakar Reddy, 50, from Medak; Poodari Srinivas, 48, from Jagtial; Ravulapalli Radhakrishna, 42, from Ramagundam; employment guarantee worker Pochayya, 60, from Gangadhara mandal in Karimnagar; Tipparaveni Kanakamma, 90, from Karimnagar; and Kothapalli Seetha, 51, from Khammam city.
Red alert for 18 districts
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for 18 districts and warned that severe heatwave conditions are likely to persist over the next several days. Authorities have advised residents to avoid direct exposure to the sun during peak afternoon hours, stay hydrated and seek immediate medical attention in case of heatstroke symptoms.
Nighttime temperatures have also remained unusually high due to low humidity levels, providing little respite from the oppressive daytime heat. Officials said urban local bodies have been directed to establish cooling wards and implement additional safeguards for outdoor workers.
The Telangana government recently increased compensation for heatstroke-related deaths from Rs 50,000 to Rs 4 lakh.
