India’s crematoriums and burial grounds are being overwhelmed by the new surge of infections, depleting the supply of life-saving oxygen cylinders to critical levels.
The disaster has seen patients left to die, even as they wait in line to see doctors.
For the fourth consecutive day, India on Sunday set a global daily record for new Covid-19 infections, spurred by a variant that has emerged in the country.
On Sunday, the UK and Germany joined the US in pledging to send medical aid, including oxygen concentrators and ventilators, to support buckling health services.
The 349,691 confirmed cases over the past 24 hours took India’s total to more than 16.9 million, second only to the US.
The Health Ministry reported another 2,767 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking India’s Covid-19 toll to 192,311.
Experts say the real toll could be much higher, as suspected cases are not included and many deaths from the infection are being attributed to underlying conditions.
The crisis unfolding in India is most evident in its graveyards and crematoriums, and in heartbreaking images of gasping patients dying on their way to hospitals because of the lack of emergency oxygen.
Burial grounds in the capital New Delhi are running out of space and glowing funeral pyres light up the night sky in other badly hit cities.
At New Delhi's Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat crematorium, workers said they cremated the remains of more than 110 people on Saturday, even though government figures for the entire city of 1.8 million put the total number of virus deaths at 10.
“The virus is swallowing our city’s people like a monster,” said Mamtesh Sharma, an official at the site.
This number of bodies has forced the crematorium to stop individual ceremonies and rituals that Hindus believe release the soul from the cycle of rebirth.
“We are just burning bodies as they arrive,” Mr Sharma said. “It is as if we are in the middle of a war.”
Mohammad Shameem, head grave digger at New Delhi’s largest Muslim cemetery, where 1,000 people have been buried during the pandemic, said: “I fear we will run out of space very soon."
The situation is equally grim at hospitals, where desperate people are dying in queues, sometimes on the roads outside.
"The virus is swallowing our city's people like a monster," said Mamtesh Sharma, an official at a crematorium
Health officials are urgently trying to expand intensive care units and stock up on dwindling supplies of oxygen.
Hospitals and patients are struggling to procure scarce medical equipment that is being sold at a high mark-up price.
Early victory
The crisis is in contrast to government claims made on Saturday by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that “nobody in the country was left without oxygen".
The breakdown is a stark failure for a country whose prime minister in January declared victory over Covid-19, and which boasted of being the “world’s pharmacy” – a global producer of vaccines and a model for other developing nations.
Caught off-guard by the latest surge, the federal government has asked industrialists to increase the production of oxygen and life-saving drugs that are also in short supply.
But health experts say India had a year to prepare for the inevitable and failed to.
Dr Krutika Kuppalli, assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina in the US, said the Indian government should have used the last year, when the virus was more under control, to plan for a surge.
It should have “stockpiled medication and developed public-private partnerships to help with manufacturing essential resources in the event of a situation like this”, Dr Kuppalli said.
"We were confident, our spirits were up after successfully tackling the first wave, but this storm has shaken the nation," Prime minister Narendra Modi said
Modi under fire
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is under increasing criticism for allowing Hindu festivals and attending huge election rallies that experts suspect accelerated the spread of infections.
With the death toll mounting, Mr Modi’s Hindu nationalist government is trying to quell critical voices.
On Sunday, he urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, saying a "storm" of infections had shaken the country.
"We were confident, our spirits were up after successfully tackling the first wave, but this storm has shaken the nation," Mr Modi said in a radio address.
Local measures
Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of New Delhi, extended by a week lockdown that was due to end on Monday, to try and stem the transmission of the virus.
"A lockdown was the last weapon we had to deal with the coronavirus but with cases rising so quickly we had to use this weapon," Mr Kejriwal said.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said it directed all major ports to give the highest priority in berthing to ships with consignments of medical-grade oxygen, oxygen tanks and bottles, portable oxygen generators and oxygen concentrators.
International assistance
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday said the US was “deeply concerned” by the severe Covid-19 surge in India.
“We are working around the clock to deploy more supplies and support to our friends and partners in India as they bravely battle this pandemic,” Mr Sullivan tweeted.
Help and support also appeared to arrive from arch-rival Pakistan, with politicians, journalists and citizens in the neighbouring country expressing support for people in India.
Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said it had offered to provide relief support including ventilators, oxygen supply kits, digital X-ray machines, personal protection equipment and related items.
It said authorities of both countries can work out strategies for a quick delivery of the items and explore possible ways of further co-operation to mitigate the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet prayed for the “speedy recovery of the Indian people affected by the virus”.
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WORLD CUP FINAL
England v South Africa
Yokohama International Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday, kick-off 1pm (UAE)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
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Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
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Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
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Ronaldo's record at Man Utd
Seasons 2003/04 - 2008/09
Appearances 230
Goals 115
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Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
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The five pillars of Islam
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Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Intercontinental Cup
Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19
Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
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The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
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Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
