Parts of India record hottest April as heatwave kills nine

People carrying pots walk towards a well to draw water from it on a hot day in Kasara, India, May 1, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Eastern India experienced its hottest April on record as a heatwave scorched parts of the country amid a general election, killing at least nine people, and the weather office on Wednesday forecast above normal temperatures for May too.

Searing heat has been cited by political analysts as one of the reasons for low voter turnout in the seven-phase parliamentary election that began on April 19, with results due on June 4.