Dhaka: As Bangladesh battles the country's longest heat wave in fifty years, thousands of schools have been closed, and widespread power outages have only made the situation worse for the populace.

The poor are the ones who are most affected by the scorching sun as temperatures in the capital of the South Asian country, Dhaka, have risen to about 40 degrees Celsius.

Since Bangladesh's independence in 1971, there has never been a heat wave this long-lasting, according to Bazlur Rashid, a senior official at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

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Even as demand for fans and air conditioners has increased, the government closed tens of thousands of primary schools and drastically reduced electricity production.

The nation's largest power plant was forced to shut down on Monday because the government could not afford the coal needed to fuel it.

Last year, the Bangladeshi taka lost about 25% of its value against the US dollar, increasing the price of fuel imports and power utilities.

Long blackouts have resulted from other plants' failure to adequately meet demand.

Tania Akhter, a housewife, stated that her daughter, 12, was still attending school while her youngest child, who had classes cancelled, was resting at home.

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The students are suffering greatly in this heat, Akhter said, and those classes ought to be cancelled as well.

The heat wave started in April and lasted into early May before slowing down and then starting up again late last month. According to forecasters, the temperatures will remain high through the end of the week.

Rashid told AFP that while Bangladesh experiences heat waves every summer, this year's was exceptional. The duration of heat waves used to only last a few days or a week, but this year they have lasted for at least two weeks.

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According to a study released last month by the World Weather Attribution group, record-breaking fatal heat waves have become at least 30 times more likely in Bangladesh, as well as in India, Laos, and Thailand