India is currently in the depths of a heat wave so bad the roads are literally melting in country’s capital of New Delhi.
The white horizontal line on the wide road near the Safdarjung Hospital warped together as the asphalt melted and moved under temperatures which held steady above 45 degrees Celsius.
Meteorological officials said the deadly heat wave could continue for several more days as the death toll rose above 1,400 in the past month.
Most of the deaths have occurred in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where temperatures held above 47 degrees Celsius.
The brutal heat wave has warped roads across the capital, scorched crops and endangered anyone living outdoors.
WATCH: Indians seek any shelter, relief as blistering heatwave continues
“With so many people dying due to the heat, we are locking the children inside,” teacher Satyamurthy told the Associated Press in Khammam, which registered a temperature of 48 degrees Celsius.
Officials are warning people to stay out of the sun, and photos from the country show dozens of people huddled closely in the shade or dousing themselves with buckets of water.
While officials urged people to stay cool, the country’s widespread poverty forced others to work.
“Either we have to work, putting our lives under threat, or we go without food,” Narasimha, a farmer, told the Associated Press. “But we stop work when it becomes unbearable.”
Relief may be coming next week however as cooling monsoon rains are expected in the southern state of Kerala and work their way north.
- – With files from The Associated Press
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