text: A relentless heat wave in India has now claimed more than 2,300 lives.
  The days-upon-days of temperatures near 120 degrees now marks the fifth deadliest heat wave in Earth's recorded history, according to Weather Underground director of meteorology Jeff Masters.
  Meteorologists say that cooling monsoon rains are days away.
  According to an official statement from the India Meteorological Department, "Persistence of convection indicates that conditions are becoming favorable for the onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala around 5th June."
  The heat became so extreme in Delhi last week that it melted some of India's roadways, according to ABC News.
  Most of the deaths occurred in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where dehydration and heat stroke have been the biggest threats, the Associated Press reported. Some villages are experiencing water shortages as a result of the prolonged heat wave, the report added.
  "These deaths are easily avoidable," M. Sudhir Kumar, a civil assistant surgeon at Dakkili Primary Healthcare Center, told Reuters."All they need to do is follow basic precautions like avoiding working in the sun. Not many listen. What can we do? It's a problem of poverty."
  (PHOTOS: Flooding In The Southern Plains)
  The searing heat has pushed residents to find any means necessary to cool off. They've gone swimming in rivers, slept on their roofs and taken shelter in the shade to find relief from the high temperatures.
  EDITOR'S NOTE: The text of this article was last updated June 2, 2015.