48°C and above: Extreme heatwaves in India are causing tens of thousands of deaths

India has been sweltering through a baking hot summer, with temperatures in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh creeping past 48°C in May, Euronews writes.

A recent study underlines the dangers of these worsening highs. It estimates that a single day of extreme heat causes approximately 3,400 excess deaths nationally in India.

A five-day heatwave is linked to nearly 30,000 extra deaths, according to the paper published in the Frontiers in Environmental Health journal last month.

These heatwaves are becoming more frequent, longer and more intense as climate change – driven by the burning of fossil fuels – pushes global temperatures higher. The past 11 years, from 2015 to 2025, were the hottest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).