More than 500 people have died in a heatwave that has swept across India and is showing little signs of abating, dpa cited officials as saying Monday. The southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were the worst affected with temperatures reaching 48 degrees in some areas. Heatwave conditions have prevailed in the region since April but most of the deaths have been reported over the past 10 days. In Telangana, 186 people had died of heat stroke since April 15, with more than 50 deaths since Sunday, state disaster management commissioner Bhambal Ram Meena said. In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, 246 people had died since May 18, with the Prakasam district accounting for 57 deaths, an official at the state disaster management department said. Large swathes of northern and central India, including national capital New Delhi, were also in the grip of the severe heat wave.