India's excess deaths, a count of the number of people who have died in excess as compared to the numbers recorded in the same period in previous years, could be 10 times higher than the official death toll, one of the most comprehensive studies show.
The study, published by Arvind Subramanian, the Indian government's former chief adviser, and two other researchers, show that the numbers of those who died in excess between January 2020 and June 2021 could be between 3 million and 4.7 million.
India's official death toll, at 414,000, has come under repeated scrutiny by health experts worldwide, especially after images of people waiting for oxygen cylinders at hospitals or mass pyres lighting up the skies of the capital city were beamed to the world.
Indian officials have dismissed those concerns and said they were exaggerated claims.
Meanwhile, the country has seen a slowing down of coronavirus infections. On Tuesday, it reported 30,093 cases in the last 24 hours, the lowest figure in the last four months. The official death toll rose by 374.