With day temperatures sizzling at more than 45 degrees Celsius in a number of cities across the country, as many as 500 people have died so far in this year’s deadly heat wave.
India’s meteorological department has predicted that the heat wave will continue till May 30.
More than 470 people have lost their lives in the southern Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where the temperature touched 48 degrees Celsius. Some of the northern Indian states, such as Rajasthan, have also recorded deaths. On May 23, India’s national capital New Delhi recorded 44.5 degrees Celsius—the highest during the season.
On May 25, taxi drivers in Kolkata declared that they would not work between 11 AM and 4PM as the temperature in the eastern Indian city has also been closing in on 40 degrees Celsius.
Quartz brings you a collection of pictures from all over India of people—and animals—reeling under the searing heat:
Indian rickshaw pullers sleep in their rickshaws on a hot summer day in New Delhi, India, on May 21, 2015.Image: AP Photo/Manish Swarup
An Indian coconut seller sleeps on his pushcart under the shade of a tree on a hot summer day in New Delhi, India, on May 24, 2015.Image: AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal
Indian women cover their faces with scarves to shield themselves from the heat as they ride a scooter in Ahmedabad, India, on May 19, 2015.Image: AP Photo/Ajit Solanki
An Indian man uses a hose to bathe his goat to provide relief from the heat in Hyderabad, in the southern Indian state of Telangana, on May 23, 2015.Image: AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.
Indian boys jump into the water to cool off in Kolkata, India, on May 19, 2015.Image: AP Photo/ Bikas Das
An Indian man rests near a dog under an overhead bridge on a hot day at a wholesale market in Ahmedabad, India, on May 19, 2015.Image: AP Photo/Ajit Solanki
An Indian rickshaw puller wipes sweat off his face on a hot summer day in Hyderabad, in the southern Indian state of Telangana, on May 23, 2015.Image: AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.
Indian children share an umbrella on a hot summer day in Hyderabad, India, on May 24, 2015.Image: AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.
An Indian commuter cools off by bathing in the water from a supply pipe by the tracks at a railway station in Allahabad, India, on May 3, 2015.Image: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh
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