Heat wave kills dozens as India’s election wraps up in searing temperatures

India’s relentless heat wave has killed at least 77 people over the past 10 days, officials said, underscoring the impact of searing temperatures as the country concluded voting in the world’s largest general election.

At least 33 poll workers died in a single day in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the state’s chief election officer, Navdeep Rinwa, told reporters at a news conference Saturday. Their families will receive $18,000 each in compensation, he added, CNN reports.

Voters and election workers have endured an extended period of unusually high temperatures since some 642 million people began casting their votes on April 19 in a mammoth democratic exercise that ended Sunday, with results expected on Tuesday.

The capital territory of Delhi sweltered to its highest-ever temperature of 49.9 degrees Celsius (121.8 degrees Fahrenheit) last week, as the oppressive heat wave forced authorities to impose water rationing.

Northwest and central India have been experiencing maximum temperatures above 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) with some towns even crossing the 50-degree mark (122 Fahrenheit), according to the Indian Meteorological Department.

Home to more than 1.4 billion people, about 969 million Indians were eligible to cast their vote in the election — more than the populations of North America and the European Union combined.

Election rules state that voters should be no more than 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) from a polling station.