141 Sunstroke-Related Deaths Reported In Odisha As Temperature Soars Over 40°Celsius

A total of 141 alleged cases of sunstroke death case have been reported this summer by the Collectors in Odisha.

Amid the heatwave experienced by north and east India, around 141 deaths occurred due to alleged sunstroke in Odisha, the Special Relief Commissioner of Odisha said in a press release.

In the last 72 hours, “99 alleged sunstroke death cases have been reported by the Collectors”, stated the release. Out of the 99 cases, the Collectors confirmed 20 cases to be a result of sunstroke. 

This summer a total of 141 alleged cases of sunstroke death case have been reported by the Collectors of which 26 cases have been confirmed, as per the press release. Meanwhile, 107 deaths are pending postmortem. 

On May 30, there were 42 alleged sunstroke death cases of which 6 were confirmed to be the result of sunstroke. 

Heatwave Review Meeting

On Saturday, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena and  Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu had a heatwave review meeting with all district collectors except Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Cuttack. The collectors have been instructed to ensure the implementation of heat wave advisories and precautionary measures issued by the SRC, as per a PTI report. 

They were further asked to ensure post-mortem examination of suspected sunstroke death cases for sanction of ex-gratia. Apart from this, a joint inquiry by the local revenue officer and the local medical officer needs to be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the death, as per the report. 

Odisha Weather

Several places in Odisha recorded a day temperature of 40 degrees Celsius or above during the day, this includes, Cuttack, Bargarh, Bhawanipatna and Nuapada. According to an NDTV report, as many as 19 places in the state recorded a maximum temperature of more than 40°Celsius on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Jharsuguda was the hottest in the state as the maximum temperature touched 47°Celsius. This was followed by Titlagarh at 46.5°Celsius, Bargarh at 46.3°Celsius, and Sambalpur at 46.2°Celsius.

In Sonepur, Malkangiri, Bhawanipatna, Balangir, and Hirakud, the mercury hit 45°Celsius or above.

India has been witnessing extreme heat for the past few weeks. The national capital, Delhi recorded the country's highest-ever temperature at 52.9°Celsius last week.