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Telangana, Andhra Pradesh in the grip of heat wave

NEW DELHI/HYDERABAD: Searing heat intensified across India on Saturday with the mercury maintaining its upward trend and heatwave sweeping across large parts of the country.Heatwave in several parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh has claimed over 200 lives in last three days.People continued to reel under intense heatwave conditions in both states on Saturday, Met officials said.More than 100 people were felled by a blazing heat wave on Friday alone in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh with the mercury hovering at 47 degrees Celsius at several places across the two states.Heatwave likely for 1 week in PatnaHospitals in Telangana reported a heavy rush of inpatients with symptoms of sunstroke even as the Andhra government kept emergency medical teams at standby in all districts. Officials issued warnings to people to not venture out during the day without guarding themselves against the sweltering heat.As the temperature soared past the 45 degrees the India Meteorological Department upgraded the heat wave warning to "severe", and forecast at least three more scorching days in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak, Warangal, Khammam, Rangareddy, Hyderabad, Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar districts of Telangana.In Andhra, districts hit were East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa and Kurnool. IMD officials feared the region would break its past record of maximum temperature - the highest day temperature ever recorded in AP and Telangana was 48.8 degree in Vijayawada on May 11, 2002.This is also the first time ever that so many people have died due to heat wave in such a short span in Telangana and AP — even when they were one entity. With the toll mounting by the day, Telangana and AP governments on Friday reviewed the situation and directed field level officials to take up a massive campaign to advise people on how to save themselves from the high temperatures.In Odisha, heatwave-like conditions prevailed in large parts forcing people to remain indoor and prompting the administration to take precautionary measures.The Odisha government received reports of 23 deaths allegedly due to sun stroke on Friday.West Bengal continued to reel under intense heatwave as a cab driver died of a suspected heatstroke on Saturday taking the toll to four since Friday.In Punjab and Haryana, intense heatwave swept across the two states with mercury soaring sharply in many areas.(With inputs from agencies)