India is likely undercounting heat deaths, affecting its response to increasingly harsh heat waves  

People cover their heads to shield from the heat as they buy water bottles in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, June 18, 2024.

Months of scorching temperatures sometimes over 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in parts of India this year — its worst heat wave in over a decade — left hundreds dead or ill. But the official number of deaths listed in government reports barely scratches the surface of the true toll and that's affecting future preparations for similar swelters, according to public health experts.