State prepares to combat deadly heat

Summer heat has previously claimed thousands of lives in Odisha and other surrounding towns

From stopping work at brick kilns on very hot days to issuing five-day advance warning of heat waves, the Indian state of Odisha is readying a pioneering action plan to prepare for increasingly deadly summer heat, officials said.

Last summer, several Indian states saw weeklong June temperatures that topped 47C, creating the country's deadliest heat wave since 1998.