South Asia faces extreme weather

South Asia is experiencing extreme weather conditions, with at least nine killed in suspected heat stroke in India's west, while doctors treated hundreds of victims of heat stroke at hospitals across Pakistan and parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal are likely to be hit by a cyclone in a couple of days, report agencies .

Extreme temperatures throughout Asia last month were made worse most likely as a result of human-driven climate change, a team of international scientists said.

In a striking contrast, Bangladesh and parts of West Bengal in eastern India are expected to be hit by "severe cyclonic storm" Remal, which is likely to make landfall on Sunday, IMD has predicted.

India's summer temperatures often peak in May, but scientists have predicted more heat-wave days than usual this year, largely caused by fewer non-monsoon thunder showers and an active but weakening dry El Nino weather phenomenon.

At least nine deaths in Rajasthan in India's west were suspected to have resulted from people falling sick in the sweltering heat, local media said.

The state's disaster management officials told Reuters they had yet to ascertain the cause, as medical examinations were not complete.

The news comes after the city of Barmer in Rajasthan topped temperature charts this week with a record 48.8 Celsius (119.84 Fahrenheit) on Thursday.

Weather officials have warned of conditions ranging from a heat-wave to severe heat-wave in many parts of the state, as well as in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana.

Pakistan, the climate change ministry said that about 26 districts in the country were boiling under a severe heat-wave as of Thursday, with the current spell of sizzling temperature likely to last until May 30.

Temperatures soared as high as 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) the previous day in Mohenjo Daro. The city, known for its archaeological sites, is in southern Sindh province, which was badly hit by climate-induced monsoon rains and devastating floods in 2022. The heat wave is forecast to continue for at least a week.

Authorities have urged people to stay indoors, hydrate and avoid unnecessary travel. But laborers say they don't have a choice because they need to work to feed their families.

"Pakistan is the fifth most vulnerable country to the impact of climate change. We have witnessed above normal rains, floods," Rubina Khursheed Alam, the prime minister's coordinator on climate, said at a news conference in the capital, Islamabad.

Barakullah Khan, a civil defense official, asked people not to place cooking gas cylinders in open areas as a safety measure. He warned those living near fields that snakes and scorpions could enter homes and storage places in search of cooler spaces.

This month, temperatures are likely to soar to 55 C (131 F), weather forecasters said.