India has recorded 3,500 new coronavirus deaths and a record 386,000 new confirmed cases as the world’s second most populous nation faces a catastrophic collapse of its healthcare system, with hospitals running out of beds and oxygen. Public health officials fear the true death toll is far higher. Residents fear the worst is yet to come.

Manoj Garg: “The situation is horrific, absolutely terrible, according to what I see. Everyone is afraid. Every single person. People are afraid that if I am talking to a person, maybe I won’t get to talk to them tomorrow or in the near future. The death toll is 200,000 today. It can go up to 400,000 or even a million. Everyone is terrified right now across the country. The environment is of fear. We are Delhi residents, and it is pathetic over here. We don’t even have oxygen cylinders or its parts.”

The Indian novelist Arundhati Roy writes in a new essay, “The system hasn’t collapsed. The government has failed. Perhaps ‘failed’ is an inaccurate word, because what we are witnessing is not criminal negligence, but an outright crime against humanity.”