Crowds stand under the heat at the Maharashtra Bhushan awards ceremony in Navi Mumbai on April 16, 2023. (Source: ANI)
Severe heat has left at least 11 people dead and more than 40 hospitalized with heatstroke after attending an event in the eastern Indian state of Maharashtra on April 16.
According to local authorities, thousands of people attended the five-hour ceremony under the scorching sun that took place in an open, roofless space in the city of Navi Munbai.
After the ceremony, people complained of dehydration and heat exhaustion. Then 11 people died and 44 others were hospitalized for heat stroke.
Local people said that the organizers only deployed the roof in the middle for guests.
Navi Mumbai is a city located near Mumbai, the financial center of India and the capital of the state of Maharashtra. On April 16, this area recorded the highest temperature of 38 degrees Celsius.
Earlier this April, the Indian Meteorological Department said that most of the country will experience a severe heat wave between now and June. This year India recorded February, its hottest since 1901.