Heatwave conditions across the nation have claimed several lives over the past few days, with over 10 people dying of suspected heatstroke in Odisha's Rourkela alone.
The maximum temperature on Thursday was recorded in West Rajasthan's Ganganagar at 48.3 degree Celsius while the lowest minimum was observed in West Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr at 22 degrees Celsius.
AT LEAST 30 DEAD IN ODISHA IN ONE DAY
At least 10 persons died of suspected heatstroke in Odisha's Rourkela on Thursday, as the mercury soared to more than 44 degrees Celsius in 12 places.
The director-in-charge of Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH), Dr Sudharani Pradhan, said that the deaths occurred within a span of six hours from 2 pm onwards.
“Eight people were dead by the time they reached the hospital, while the rest died while undergoing treatment here. This was likely due to the intense heatwave,” Pradhan said.
The body temperatures were around 103-104 Fahrenheit, which is very high considering the prevailing weather conditions. "This could be the possible reason behind the deaths. The history could not be studied as they arrive dead,” she said.
However, Pradhan noted that the real cause could only be ascertained after a post-mortem examination.
At least eight people died of suspected heatstroke in Sambalpur, six in Jharsuguda and six others in Balangir died of suspected heat stroke disorders on Thursday, Times of India reported.
Odisha's director of public health, Nilakantha Mishra, said that authorities are verifying the suspected deaths, confirming that four people died of sunstroke.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that heatwave conditions prevailed in Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Malkangiri, Sundargarh, Nuapada and Kandhamal districts, it said.
6 KILLED IN UTTAR PRADESH IN LAST 24 HOURS
Six persons, including two minors, were killed in separate weather-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours.
According to police officials, three people were killed in Shahjahanpur after a temporary shed fell on them, while three allegedly died due to heatstroke.
Meanwhile, two people including an elderly woman died due to alleged health complications caused by heatstroke on Thursday in Kaushambi.
"Ram Milan (35) and Sarika Bano (70) of different areas of the district were on Thursday admitted at the district hospital with complaints of symptoms resembling that of heat stroke," said Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Sushpendra Kumar said.
A 58-year-old resident of Chandigarh died due to suspected heatstroke in Sultanpur on Thursday. The deceased Kishori Devi's health deteriorated while returning home in the Harihar Express train.
Devi's son Pradeep was also hospitalised due to worsened health condition. The mother-son duo were rushed to the railway hospital, where the doctors referred them to the Government Medical College.
Kishori Devi was declared dead at the GMC. Her son is undergoing treatment, the officials said.
HEATWAVE KILLS 5 IN RAJASTHAN
The Rajasthan government on Thursday said that five people have so far died to heatwave-related conditions in the state.
Dr Ravi Prakash Mathur, Director (Public Health), said the situation is completely under control in the state despite the intense heat conditions. Mathur said that medical and health departments had been preparing for such a situation since March.
"So far, five deaths have occurred due to heat wave in the state," he said, adding that the number of deaths due to heat wave being reported by media are "beyond facts".
"Death Audit Committee investigates suspicious deaths due to heat stroke as per the parameters set by the Government of India. According to these parameters, if any death is found to be due to heat stroke, it is certified and its report is sent to Integrate Health Information (IHIP) portal. Only the figures released on the IHIP portal are authentic," the officer said.
JHARKHAND REPORTS 4 DEATHS
At least four persons, including a woman, died due to heatwave-related symptoms in Jharkhand's Palamu district, which also recorded the state's highest maximum temperature on Thursday at 47.4 degrees Celsius.
"Three persons died during treatment at a hospital, while one died outside the hospital. The patients were suffering from heatwave-related complications," Palamu civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar Singh said.
Additionally, around 10 persons are undergoing treatment at the district hospital for heatwave-related ailments.
He said that a rapid action team was also formed to deal with the ongoing heatwave situation.
Earlier on Wednesday, two deaths were reported from Garhwa district due to similar ailments. However a senior official of the state health department said that the deaths being attributed to heatwave are, in fact, due to comorbidities.
The heatwave is not only taking effect on human, but also on birds, especially bats. Reportedly hundreds of bats were found dead near the Son River under the jurisdiction of the Kandi Police Station.
8 DIE OF SUSPECTED HEATSTROKE IN BIHAR
Intense heatwave conditions across Bihar on Thursday claimed the lives of eight persons, with mercury breaching 44 degrees Celsius. These persons allegedly died due to suspected heatstroke.
While confirming the number of deaths, the state disaster management department said the cause of death could not be ascertained since most of the grieving families refused post-mortem examinations.
The reports of other deceased are awaited. "Only after receiving the autopsy reports, the authorities will be in a position to state the reasons behind the deaths. As of now, we can't comment on this. Some post-mortem examination reports are awaited. We are waiting for that," a senior official of the state department said.
Notably, the Bihar government also ordered the closure of all private and state-run schools, coaching institutes and Anganwadi centres till June 8.
At 47.1 deg C, Buxar was the hottest place in the state on Thursday.
2 CHILDREN DIE IN MADHYA PRADESH
In Madhya Pradesh, two children, aged 12 and 14 years, died reportedly due to heatstroke in Gwalior. CMHO Dr RK Rajoriya told news agency ANI, "While returning, they felt discomfort. One of the children was already ill and had a fever. The other one was healthy...They were taken to hospital but they were brought dead."
(With agency inputs)
