Six more people had died "of heat stroke in the last 24 hours taking the toll to 25," in Uttar Pradesh said state police official Mukesh Singh.

All the dead were poor and homeless, he said from the state capital Lucknow. Two of the dead were children.

The other deaths were reported from eastern Orissa state where 27 people died of heat-related problems over the weekend. One death was also reported in the holy city of Amritsar in Punjab state.

In Lucknow the day temperature was likely to rise in the next 24 hours, R.K. Verma, director of the state Meteorological Department, told AFP.

"Hot winds are likely to sweep the plains of Uttar Pradesh, making life more miserable," he warned.

In New Delhi the temperature climbed to 44.5 degrees Celsius at the weekend and dust storms were expected by Wednesday.

"The temperature should come down by at least one or two degrees in the next 48 hours," said meteorologist R.D Singh.

Neighbouring Haryana state registered temperatures above 47 C (117 Fahrenheit).

India overheats in May ahead of the onset of the southwest monsoon rains that normally sweep the subcontinent from June to September.

Scores of cities and towns in India are facing water shortages and prolonged power cuts, triggering a spate of criticism of those running the overwhelmed state-run utilities.

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