The extreme heat killed them.. 25 people died in a tragic way

Maharashtra in western India has recorded 25 deaths from heat stroke since the end of last March, the highest toll in the past five years, with more deaths likely to occur elsewhere in the country where temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius.

Scientists have linked the early onset of a sweltering summer with climate change and said more than a billion people in India and Pakistan were somehow vulnerable to extreme heat.

With no cold monsoon rains expected until next month and frequent power cuts in some parts of India, even residents who can afford air conditioning will not find much rest in the coming weeks.

Most of the deaths in Maharashtra occurred in rural areas of India's wealthiest state.

"These are suspected deaths from heat stroke," a Maharashtra health official told Reuters.

India is the world's second-largest wheat producer, but temperatures are expected to cut back this year's harvest after five consecutive years of record harvests.

With the demand for energy increasing, electric companies are looking into the massive coal deficit while the government is pleading with them to increase imports.

India recorded the warmest month of March in a century, with the maximum temperature reaching 33.1 degrees Celsius across the country, 1.86 degrees higher than normal, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.

Several parts of northern, western and eastern India saw temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in the past month.

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