18 dead in India heat wave: report*

NEW DELHI, June 9 (AFP) Jun 09, 2007

Eighteen people died in northern India as temperatures soared Saturday,
a news report said.

The northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which is one of India's poorest,
was the worst hit with 15 deaths, the Press Trust of India reported.

The Taj Mahal town of Agra recorded the state's highest temperature of
47 degrees Celsius (116.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

Two people died in northern Punjab state, and another died in
neighbouring Haryana, the report said.

So far, heat has killed 53 people since the end of April, the news
agency said.

"The weather conditions are likely to continue for the next 24 hours.
Humidity is also very high," said K.P. Kulshreshtha, the head of the
regional weather office in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.