India: Record-high temperatures in April kill nine amid general elections

Eastern India saw its hottest April on record as a heatwave scorched parts of the country amid a general election, killing at least nine people, Reuters reported yesterday.

According to the source citing the weather office on Wednesday, above-normal temperatures are projected for May, too, after the mean temperature in eastern India reached 28.12 Celsius (82.61 Fahrenheit) in April, the warmest since records began in 1901.

It adds that extremely hot temperatures have been cited by political analysts as one of the reasons for low voter turnout in the seven-phase parliamentary election that began on April 19, with results due on June 4.

The El Nino phenomenon as well as fewer thunderstorms and an anti-cyclonic circulation near India’s southeastern coast have been blamed for the unprecedented heatwaves.