Another 45 people died in neighbouring Bihar state, local
newspapers reported.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert
warning last week for extreme heat in some regions of the
country, including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The government said it was investigating the cause of the deaths
that occurred over three days last week in Uttar Pradesh's
Ballia district, about 970 km (600 miles) southeast of New
Delhi.
"Deaths have occurred in the district but it is very difficult
to say if that happened due to the heat wave," said Ravindra
Kumar, the top administrative official of the district, told
Reuters, without confirming the number of deaths.
"A few of the deaths are related to old age, while some have
different reasons. There is no concrete evidence of heat wave
behind these deaths."
The government fired Diwakar Singh, the chief medical official
at the main state hospital in Ballia, for saying that the deaths
were due to heat.
The state's deputy chief minister, Brajesh Pathak, said on
social media that Singh had been removed from his position for
making an "irresponsible statement".
Temperatures have soared close to 45 degrees Celsius (113
degrees Fahrenheit) in recent days in Ballia with a severe power
crisis compounding the situation.
In Bihar, 45 people lost their lives due to heat-related
illnesses, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported. Officials in
Patna, the capital of Bihar, did not answer phone calls.
While the heat wave was expected to continue in some regions on
Monday, parts of India's northeastern Assam state reeled under
floods triggered by heavy rains.
"Rainfall intensity in Assam and other northeastern states is
likely to rise this week. Many pockets are expected to receive
heavy to extremely heavy rainfall this week, which could lead to
flooding," said a senior official with the IMD.
(additional reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai; writing by
Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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