Chongqing ( China ), (AFP) - To escape the heat in light of the heat exceeding 42 degrees Celsius, residents of Chongqing in southwestern China, a province suffering severely from the consequences of an unprecedented heat wave hitting the country, resort to air-conditioned corridors at stations metro .

Several regions in the southern half of the country are currently witnessing the strongest heat wave since national average temperatures began to be recorded in the 1960s.

The heat wave causes rivers to dry up and contributes to a decrease in the production of hydroelectric power plants.

The situation has prompted the authorities to ration electricity, particularly by closing factories and reducing public lighting.

In Chongqing, one of the hardest-hit cities, mostly elderly residents flee the stifling daytime heat towards subway stations to take a nap, read or play cards.

They sit on benches, cardboard boxes, or overturned buckets, among them a number of resting maintenance workers or laborers, and others are neighborhood residents or unemployed retirees.

The recent discovery of a new cluster of coronavirus in the province of 32 million people has led to mandatory testing for 10 million of them. But on the subway, few people wear masks.

And around them, the crowd of travelers spread in the corridors continues to move to and from the place of work, indicating the continuation of the wheel of economic life despite the heat wave.

And near the entrance to the subway, in a crowded supermarket, some residents also come to look for a little refreshment.

With a smile on his face, one of the managers explains that many of those who go to metro stations have air conditioners at home, but they feel bored and prefer to come and chat with their friends in a quiet atmosphere.

Climate experts say that the intensity, scope and time span of this heat wave are elements that may make it one of the largest heat waves ever recorded.