Northern India continues to swelter under heat

The Indian capital and its surrounding areas continued to swelter Friday in a 40-plus-degree Celsius heat wave, while meteorological department predicted continuous hot weather in coming days.

The northern states of Haryana and Punjab's mercury settled above normal level, with most parts sizzling at 42-plus degrees Celsius. While officials put the heat in Delhi at around 40 degrees, the temperature was much higher during the day time.

While monsoon rains have hit many parts of western coast including Mumbai, northern India's plains will have to wait at least two weeks before rains arrive.

Over 2,300 people have died of heatstroke over the past one month in India, mostly in southeastern parts of the country.

Officials said the delay and shortage of monsoon rains could hurt the country's agricultural sector further. Some farmers have committed suicide recently in the northern states of Punjab, a food basket state of India, due to losses in farm outputs and debts, in the latest casualties of the extreme weather conditions.