Dhaka, April 21 -- Vegetable vendor Abdul Hye was huffing and puffing and profusely sweating although he had a large umbrella attached to his van at Mirpur-14 in Dhaka. He was using a gamchha, or traditional towel, to wipe the sweat frequently.

"The blazing sun is so unbearable that it feels like fire is pouring down from the sky," he declared. "Even the air is too hot. I haven't experienced such heat in the past few years. People are in big trouble!"

A severe heatwave is wreaking havoc across the capital, where the highest temperature crossed the 40 degrees Celsius barrier for the first time this season on Saturday.

The situation is worse in some other parts of the country, like Jashore or Chuadanga, as Bangladesh is facing unrelentin...