India's record-breaking 123.8 degree heatwave Kills Hundreds, Destroys Crops

India has recently recorded its highest temperature ever, with a scorching 51 degrees Celsius or 123.8 Fahrenheit . The result is a devastating death toll and ravaged crops. Hundreds of people have died in more than 13 states, with damaged crops affecting hundreds of millions of Indians.

The withered fields have forced thousands of small farmers to abandon their land and move to the cities. Others have committed suicide rather than live in the shanties of the urban towns.

Rivers, lakes and dams have dried up in many parts of the affected areas of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The record-breaking temperature was set last May 19 in the city of Phalodi in the western state of Rajasthan. Other towns in the state, such as Churu, also recorded high temperatures of about 50 degrees Celsius that same day.

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