Chandigarh, May 23
The current heat wave claimed first life as Amrik Singh (46), a resident of Shakri village, died late last evening at Khan Chhapri village in Tarn Taran district. He was on his way back home after visiting some relatives.

The region was in the grip of severe heat wave as the temperatures dipped sharply. Amritsar was hottest in three decades with the maximum temperature reaching 48°C, said IMD officials. The previous highest temperature Amritsar had recorded was 47.7°C on May 21, 1978. Yesterday, the city recorded 47.2°C, the highest in the region.

Ambala (45°C), Bhiwani (46°C), Hisar (47°C) and Narnaul (46°C) in Haryana experienced scorching heat, while there was no respite in Jammu, Karnal, Patiala and Una (all recording 45°C).

Shimla in Himachal Pradesh recorded a temperature of 30°C. The temperature graph has witnessed an upward trend continuously form the past four days. Ludhiana, the industrial town of Punjab, registered 46.5°C while people in Patiala faced 45.9°C. Hisar, sharing its border with Rajasthan, was the hottest place in Haryana, recording 47°C. Bhiwani and Narnaul groaned under 46°C, while Karnal and Ambala saw mercury settling at 45.6°C and 45.1°C, respectively.