Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has been rushed to hospital after suffering heatstroke.
The 58-year-old was in Ahmedabad, India to attend a cricket match at the Narendra Modi Stadium where the team he co-owns, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), were playing against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday (21 May).
According to police, the star was taken to multi-speciality KD Hospital, with security tightened around the building to prevent disruption according to the PTI news agency.
“Actor Shah Rukh Khan was admitted to KD Hospital after suffering from heatstroke,” Ahmedabad (Rural) Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Jat said.
He has been visited by his wife Gauri Khan and actor Juhi Chawla in hospital, according to the Hindustan Times.
“The actor was suffering from dehydration amid a high temperature of 45-degree Celcius in Ahmedabad. He is under medical observation although his health is stable. Security has been tightened around the hospital,” news agency IANS reported, quoting sources.
The star’s manager Pooja Dadlani shared an update on Instagram as she said he was “doing well”.
The Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham star, who is widely said to be the most popular actor in Bollywood, was seen walking around the stadium with his family and celebrating in a victory lap as fans chanted his name, shortly before he suffered heatstroke.
A social media post by KKR showed a picture of Khan smiling on the pitch as he donned a t-shirt and sunglasses.
“Our lucky charm, our King Khan” read the caption along with a crown and purple heart emoji signifiying the team’s colours.
It comes as India is undergoing a brutal spell of heatwaves this year, shattering records in several places and reducing voter turnout in the six-week-long national elections.
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This week, Delhi sizzled at 47.8 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature countrywide this year and 7 degrees higher than normal for this time of the year.
Most of India is experiencing temperatures above 40C and large parts of North India are under a “red alert”, the highest on the scale.
Ahmedabad, where the actor experienced heatstroke, recorded a maximum temperature of 45.2C on Tuesday.
It rose to 45.9C on Wednesday. Scientists have said this year’s heatwave in Southeast, South and West Asia was made worse because of climate crisis.
So far, five deaths had been attributed to heatwaves in India. Over 30 deaths were recorded in Thailand and 28 in Bangladesh due to heatwaves.
Scientists say these losses are just the tip of the iceberg, with heat-related deaths and medical issues often being highly underreported.
