HYDERABAD, India, May 13 (Reuters) - Scorching heat in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has killed 36 people in the past 24 hours, most of them elderly and destitute, officials said on Sunday. Daytime temperatures hovered around 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) in many parts of the state, with the coal mining town of Kothagudem in the northeast recording a top temperature of 48 C (118 F) Weather officials said the temperatures being recorded in May were around 3 C (5 F) above normal. The state government has set up water distribution points in major towns so people do not get dehydrated and authorities were handing out packets of rehydration salts. Nearly 3,000 cows, buffaloes and sheep have died in the heatwave over the past 10 days. Each summer, hundreds of people die in India due to sun stroke, especially in its northern plains and southern states.
