Heatwave: Toll crosses 1,700 mark in Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: The death toll due to sweltering heatwave sweeping Andhra Pradesh rose to 1,719 today with 42 more persons losing their lives in the last 24 hours, officials said.

"As per information available till 8 PM , the toll has reached to 1,719," an official of State Disaster Management Department told PTI here.

Yesterday, the toll stood at 1,677. Prakasam district has recorded the maximum number of deaths at 333, followed by Guntur - 237 , East Godavari- 204, Vizianagaram - 199, Visakhapatnam- 193, Nellore - 165, Krishna - 80, Chittoor- 67, Anantapur and Srikakulam - 63 each, Kadapa and Kurnool-39 each and West Godavari - 37.

The figures pertain to the period from May 18 till 8 PM today.

According to the MeT department, heat wave conditions prevailed over some parts in the districts of Guntur of Coastal Andhra Pradesh yesterday.

Rain occurred at many places over Rayalaseema and at isolated places over Coastal AP.

The highest maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius was recorded at Jangamaheshwarapuram yesterday.

Meanwhile, reacting on reports in section of media that of the over 1,600 heat wave deaths, only one-third have so far been certified to have been caused by heat, AP Principal Secretary (Land and Disaster Management) Jagdish Chander Sharma said a three-member committee was set up in each district since 2013 which verifies the circumstances leading to the deaths.