India battles heatwave conditions, temperature nears 50-degrees in Churu

Scorching heatwave conditions gripped large swathes of the country Saturday as the mercury crossed the 50-degree mark in Rajasthan's Churu, while several other places endured maximum temperatures markedly above normal with the weatherman saying there will be no respite until next week.

The national capital battled weather conditions in the "red category" as the maximum temperature recorded at the Palam observatory was 46.1C, according to the India Meteorological Department. The Safdarjung observatory recorded a maximum of 43.5C.