Rio de Janeiro is labouring under the worst heat wave in 50 years. The city has been turned into a furnace. The Brazilian metropolis registered 46.3 degrees Celsius yesterday and the suffocating humidity makes it feel even warmer.

Many residents are unable to sleep and head to the beaches at night to cool down. Santos, a city 350 kilometres south of Rio, is also swelteringly hot and the extreme temperatures have cost 32 elderly people their lives.

Meteorologists predict that the heatwave in Rio de Janeiro will last at least until the start of the famous carnival festivities on 13 February. Doctors are advising people to take regular cold showers and drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration.