Blistering heatwave claims more lives

D.C. Rosaiah, state relief commissioner, told AFP that 74 more people had died across the state, with the bulk of the casualties reported in the coastal district of Guntur bordering the Bay of Bengal.

"The toll figure has shown another sharp jump with 46 fresh casualties being reported from Guntur alone," said Rosaiah.

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"Given the unprecedented scale of this tragedy our government has requested emergency assistance from the prime minister's relief fund and they have reacted positively."

While Andhra Pradesh has borne the brunt of the heat wave, elsewhere in India 30 people have died from heat-related ailments since rising temperatures engulfed India's Gangetic plains mid-May.

In neighbouring Pakistan, at least 11 people have died on Tuesday as several cities sizzled in scorching heat, raising the toll from the current wave to more than 50, officials said Wednesday.

The mercury shot up to 48 degree Celsius (118.4 Fahrenheit) in Multan and across central Punjab province while Jacobabad and Sibi towns of southern Sindh province experienced the hottest day of the season when the temperature there rose to 50 degree Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), they said.