The surge in deaths this months follows a warning from the country’s meteorological department about potential heat-related casualties. Temperatures in northern and eastern India have reached 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit) this week, AFP reported. A local health official acknowledged heat may have been a factor in the deaths of 25 people on June 16. Later, the Chief Medical Officer of Ballia, Dr. Jayant Kumar, said the spike in deaths was due to “various other ailments,” including old age. Not a single district hospital has been built in the last six years.

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Persons: Diwakar Singh, Singh, Ballia, Jayant Kumar, ” Kumar, N Tiwari, “, ” Akhilesh Yadav, ”, Mansukh Mandaviya Organizations: CNN, AFP, BBC, heatwave, Express, India’s Locations: Uttar Pradesh, Ballia, India