In other news: Sweltering heat in northern India overwhelms hospitals as death toll climbs; Germany’s biggest theme park to reopen after large fire forces evacuation

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 21, 2023

A scorching heat wave in two of India’s most populous states has overwhelmed hospitals, filled a morgue to capacity and disrupted power supply, forcing staff to use books to cool patients. Officials are investigating a death toll that has reached nearly 170 in recent days. In Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh state, residents are scared of going outside after midmorning. The largest hospital is unable to accommodate more patients. Officials say the morgue was full after 54 people, all of whom were elderly suffering from various health issues, died. Some families were asked to take the bodies of their relatives home. The state health minister said they’re investigating how many deaths are directly related to heat, with highs reaching 43.5 degrees Celsius.

Germany’s biggest theme park will reopen to visitors after a large fire sent a dense plume of black smoke billowing into the sky that was visible for miles. The Europa-Park in the town of Rust, near the French border, was to open with only minor restrictions Tuesday after the blaze the day before. The fire broke out in a control room for an attraction on Monday afternoon at a time when some 25,000 people were visiting the park. Fire alarms functioned properly and the park was evacuated as some 450 firefighters, police and emergency personnel rushed to the scene, DPA reported. Two firefighters were lightly injured but no visitors were harmed.

Tropical Storm Bret moves west in Atlantic, with possible hurricane threat to Caribbean islands

Tropical Storm Bret has formed in the Atlantic Ocean and could threaten the Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said that Bret formed Monday in the central Atlantic. At 11 p.m., it had maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. It was moving west at 18 mph. The center forecasted that Bret could be a Category 1 hurricane threatening the Lesser Antilles on Thursday and Friday. It could then approach Haiti and the Dominican Republic by the weekend. The center says there is also a possibility the storm could turn north and avoid the islands.