India Heat Wave 2015: Death Toll Rises To 2,000 [UPDATE]

On Sunday, some parts of India experienced showers and thunderstorms that brought relief to people. However, the officials said intense heat will continue for another day in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states. They also added cooling monsoon rains are expected this week in southern India and the monsoon season will last until the end of September.

The two state temperatures hovered 45 and 47 degrees Celsius (113-116 Fahrenheit) during weekend daytime. There were 146 deaths reported in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, making the death toll increased to 1,636 in that state alone.

According to Special Commissioner, Disaster Management Sada Bharghavi, the total death in Telangana rose to 585 from 541. This latest figure was of May 30 as they're "yet to receive reports for May 31 and today."

When she was asked if the death toll is due to heat wave, she answered, "These are preliminary reports which say these deaths occurred due to the summer. A three-member committee at district-level comprising tehsildar, civil surgeon and local (police) station house officer will find out the exact cause of deaths."

May and June are typically the hottest months in India. However, this year temperatures have been the hottest in some regions due to the emergence of El Niño. There were millions of dead birds reported, which become a major blow in poultry. Currently, the prices of chicken in Mumbai soared up after 17 million birds killed after a heat wave in May.

KV Krishna Charan, general manager at feed producer Komaral Feeds and Foods Pvt Ltd., said poultry feed demand has fallen nearly 30 percent in the last two-three weeks. The prices of corn also dropped nearly four percent in May due to the weak demand.