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India is in the grip of a deadly heat wave that's filled at least one morgue to capacity and boosted temperatures well into the triple digits.
More than 160 people are reported to have died from heat-related illnesses in recent days.
"So many people are dying from the heat that we are not getting a minute's time to rest. On Sunday, I carried 26 dead bodies," Jitendra Kumar Yadav, a hearse driver in Deoria town 68 miles from Ballia, told the Associated Press.
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While June is normally hot for the region, the heat wave has driven temperatures as high as 110 degrees.
The largest hospital in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh couldn't take any patients. The morgue was also full.
Extreme temperatures also boost pollution, which can make people more prone to respiratory infections and other health issues.
Research has shown that these types of heat waves are becoming more intense and more common due to climate change.
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Earth's average surface temperature has already risen about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century. Scientists say the increase is driven by greenhouse gas emissions that trap heat in Earth's atmosphere.
World Weather Attribution, a panel of international experts that study the role of climate change in extreme weather events, found that a heat wave in April that hit South Asia, including parts of India, was largely driven by climate change.
Heat waves are among the deadliest type of weather event, but often the full toll isn't known until well afterward, if at all. That's because it takes time to compile death certificates and other records, and not all jurisdictions track deaths in the same way.
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