A dangerous heat wave blanketed dozens of US states with temperatures up to 46 degrees celsius on Thursday and has been blamed for at least 22 deaths, dpa reported. The mid-west state of Kansas alone has recorded 13 deaths, including three in the past 24 hours, the Kansas City Star reported online. High humidity pushed up the heat index to 40.6 to 46 degrees, the National Weather Service said. The oven-like weather is gripping the central US from Texas to South Dakota, eastward through the Ohio Valley and deep South and northwards into New England. About 141 million people, about half the population, were affected. -- SPA
