Worshippers take to the streets to pray for rain as heatwave worsens

Facing an extreme heatwave, thousands of Bangladeshis took to the streets to pray for rain.

The situation is dramatic - the authorities have decided to close schools across the country, and life "has become unbearable."

Forced to battle an extreme heatwave, thousands of Bangladeshis gathered in mosques and streets to pray for rain. The Bangladesh Meteorological Office confirms that average maximum temperatures in the capital Dhaka over the past week were 4-5 degrees Celsius higher than the 30-year average for the same period.

"Life has become unbearable due to lack of rain. Poor people are suffering greatly," said Muhammad Abu Yusuf, an Islamic cleric who led morning prayers for 1,000 people in central Dhaka.

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The country's largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, issued a statement calling on its members to join prayer services scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures across Bangladesh reached over 42 degrees Celsius last week.

"April is usually the hottest month in Bangladesh. But this April was one of the hottest since the country gained independence," said government forecaster, Tariful Newaz Kabir.

Increased temperatures have also contributed to outbreaks of diarrhea in the southern coastal district of Patuakhali due to increased salinity in local water sources.

This article was originally published on Onet Travel.