Over 100 dead in Andhra due to heat wave: Naidu

More than 100 people have died in Andhra Pradesh due to severe heat wave conditions this season, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said here on Saturday.

"The toll so far due to heat wave in Andhra Pradesh may be over 100," Naidu said at a press conference.

Severe heat wave conditions have been reported in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Officials have so far not released any figures.

Elderly people, daily wage labourers, beggars and people living on footpaths have been the worst hit.

The Hyderabad Meteorological Centre has warned that severe heat wave conditions may continue for three more days in both the states.

Khammam in Telangana on Saturday sizzled at 48 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature in the state this season. This also broke a 68-year-old record in Khammam when the town had recorded 47.2 degree Celsius in 1947.

Nalgonda, Nizamabad and Ramagundem also sizzled at 47 degrees Celsius. Mahabubnagar and Adilabad recorded 45 degrees and Hyderabad 44 degrees.

The south coastal Andhra region bore the brunt with many places recording three to five degrees higher temperature than normal. A maximum temperature of 47 degrees was recorded at Nandigama and Vijayawada.

The heat wave, attributed to dry winds blowing from the north, has badly hit normal life in both the states. Streets in many towns wore a deserted look as people preferred to stay indoors to escape the sun's fury. Traffic was thin on the roads of Hyderabad during day time.