熱中症で１１人死亡　印政府主催の行事、気温３８度

【ニューデリーＡＦＰ＝時事】インド西部マハラシュトラ州ムンバイ近郊で１６日、政府主催の授賞式に出席した推定１００万人が炎天下で何時間も待たされ、熱中症により１１人が死亡した。当局が１７日、明らかにした。（写真は、インド・マハラシュトラ州ムンバイ近郊で開かれた政府主催の授賞式に出席した人々。）
　現地メディアによると、１６日の気温は３８度近くまで上がり、湿度も高かった。会場にいた約２０人が病院に搬送されたほか、３００人が体調不良を訴えた。
　式にはアミト・シャー内相ら政府高官も出席していた。マハラシュトラ州首相は「悲痛な出来事」だと述べ、犠牲者の親族への慰謝料を約束した。
　英字紙インディアン・エクスプレスは行事への出席者数を、与党インド人民党のまとめで約１００万人と報じている。
　野党・国民会議派は今回の事態について、政府の過失であり、犯罪として裁かれるべきだと糾弾した。
　現地報道によると東部の西ベンガル州でも、高温のため１７日から１週間、小学校から大学まで全教育機関の閉鎖を当局が発表したという。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/04/18-16:55）

Eleven people died of heatstroke in India after an estimated one million spectators waited for hours in the sun at a government-sponsored awards ceremony, officials said on Monday.
Around 20 people were hospitalised and 300 felt ill at the event near the western city of Mumbai on Sunday, when temperatures hit close to 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) with high levels of humidity, local media reported.
Senior government officials attended the ceremony, including Interior Minister Amit Shah, who praised the crowd for waiting so long in the sun.
The office of Maharashtra state Chief Minister Eknath Shinde described it as a sad and disturbing incident and promised compensation for the victims' relatives.
India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party said around a million people attended the event, the Indian Express newspaper reported.
The opposition Congress party accused the government of negligence and said it should face criminal charges.
Heatwaves have killed more than 6,500 people in India since 2010, and last year saw record temperatures in several cities across the country.
The hot spells are becoming harsher and more frequent across South Asia, spurred by climate change, according to scientists.
Authorities in the eastern state of West Bengal announced a week-long shutdown of all schools, colleges and universities from Monday due to the heat, local media reported.
Last year, India suffered coal shortages, the main source of electricity in the nation of 1.4 billion people, as electricity demand peaked in the heat.
Many parts of India rely on trains to supply water during the summer.
Scientists also believe the annual monsoon rainy season is becoming more erratic and powerful, causing greater flooding.