South Asian Heat Wave Claims at Least 1,300 Victims
Rains combat killer heatwave

June 5, 2003

INDIA received its first monsoon showers today in the remote northeast region, officials said, bringing hopes of relief from a devastating heat spell that has killed at least 1347 people.

Weather officials said isolated monsoon rains occurred in parts of five northeastern states - Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh - and warned of heavy showers in the next 48 hours.

"Yes, we have had the first monsoon showers in the northeast," said SK Subramanium, deputy director-general of the Indian Meteorological Department in New Delhi.

Normally the monsoon rains hit the southern state of Kerala in the first week of June, while a second front arrives in the northeast a few days later.

Subramanium said the monsoon was expected to arrive in Kerala in three to five days, but that this year the rain was likely to be slightly below average.

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