The intense heatwave across India and Pakistan is expected to continue until Sunday with temperatures expected to rise up to 48 degrees Celsius, putting millions of residents at risk.

An Indian boy pours water over his head on a hot summer day in Amritsar on May 23, 2018.
An Indian boy pours water over his head on a hot summer day in Amritsar on May 23, 2018. (AFP)

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning about an impending heatwave that will sweep across India and neighbouring Pakistan in the next few days, offering no respite from already soaring temperatures. Temperatures may rise up to 48 degrees Celsius in some places while the heatwave is expected to continue until Sunday, May 27.

This resurgence of heat has recently claimed the lives of at least 65 people in Karachi, Pakistan, according to the Associated Press. Rising mercury levels coinciding with power cuts and Ramadan, when many Muslims avoid eating or drinking water, will continue to put millions of residents at risk for illnesses such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

In India, the core heatwave zone spreads over Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana and parts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Last year, about 222 Indians died because of the heat, the government says, down from 1,111 in 2016 and 2,040 the year before.

A man talks on his phone with his face covered to protect himself from sunstroke on a hot summer day in New Delhi, India, May 23, 2018.
A man talks on his phone with his face covered to protect himself from sunstroke on a hot summer day in New Delhi, India, May 23, 2018. (Reuters)
Indian commuters cover their faces on a hot summer day in Amritsar on May 23, 2018.
Indian commuters cover their faces on a hot summer day in Amritsar on May 23, 2018. (AFP)
An Indian women gives water to her one-month baby girl on a hot summer day at the roadside in Amritsar on May 23, 2018.
An Indian women gives water to her one-month baby girl on a hot summer day at the roadside in Amritsar on May 23, 2018. (AFP)
A zookeeper sprays water on an elephant to cool her on a hot day at the Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden in Guwahati, India, May 23, 2018.
A zookeeper sprays water on an elephant to cool her on a hot day at the Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden in Guwahati, India, May 23, 2018. (Reuters)
A woman offers water to her granddaughter as she covers her and herself to protect from sunstroke on a hot summer day in New Delhi, India, May 23, 2018.
A woman offers water to her granddaughter as she covers her and herself to protect from sunstroke on a hot summer day in New Delhi, India, May 23, 2018. (Reuters)
A woman shields her head on a hot afternoon in New Delhi, India, May 12, 2018.
A woman shields her head on a hot afternoon in New Delhi, India, May 12, 2018. (Reuters)
Source: TRTWorld and agencies