Heat stress claims 85 lives in India

At least 85 people died of suspected heat stress and related issues in India's Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in 24 hours, senior officials in these regions said on Friday, amid an unforgiving heat spell that has pushed temperatures to unprecedented levels in many of these regions.

The maximum number of casualties was reported in Odisha, which has been reeling under intense heatwave conditions for the past few days, exacerbated further by high humidity that pushed the index to north of 50°C, reports Hindustan Times.

In the eastern state, a total of 46 people died of suspected heat stress in a span of 24 hours, prompting the state government to call for an inquiry by senior officials in the health department.

According to officials, five deaths were reported in Rourkela town of Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Bolangir districts on Friday.

On Thursday, the officials added, 41 people died due to similar reasons. In Rourkela government hospital, eight people were declared dead on arrival between 1.30pm and 8pm on Thursday while two more died shortly after they arrived.

Director of public health, Nilakantha Mishra, said though the exact cause of the deaths can be ascertained only after a post-mortem examination, prima facie it appeared that they occurred as the deceased were working outdoors in the heat during peak hours.

“Bodies of people who died due to suspected heat stroke will be sent for post-mortem,” he said.

Several places in the state on Friday recorded temperatures above 45°C. While Sambalpur was the hottest at 45.2 °C, Jharsuguda recorded 44.6°C and Hirakud 44.5°C. The humidity levels soared past 80% in several coastal areas, according to data provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

With the weather body forecasting continued heatwave conditions until June 3, special relief commissioner Satyabrata Sahu urged residents, particularly those living in undivided Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kalahandi, and Boudh districts, to stay indoors during the peak hours. Coastal regions are also expected to experience hot and humid weather conditions, he said.