Nearly 100 die as India struggles with a sweltering heat wave in two most populous states

Relatives attend to a patient lying on a stretcher in the premises of a hospital in Ballia district, in northern Uttar Pradesh state, India. Picture: AP Photo

At least 96 people died in two of India’s most populous states over the last several days, officials said Sunday, with swaths of the country reeling from a sweltering heat wave.

The deaths happened in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and eastern Bihar where authorities warned residents over 60 and others suffering various maladies to stay indoors during the daytime.