Heatwave deaths in India: Heatstroke claims over 50 lives; Check states where casualties were reported

Can heatwaves claim people's lives? Over 50 people reportedly died due to heatstroke in different parts of the country since Thursday. These deaths were reported as the temperature soared past 50 degrees Celsius in parts of North India, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar this week.

Here's a list of states where deaths dur to "heat stroke" or "sunstroke were reported:

Delhi

Delhi, where the temperature touched 49 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, recorded its first heat-related death this week. A 40-year-old labourer died of heatstroke on Wednesday, the Indian Express reported.

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Odisha

Around 10 to 12 people died at a government hospital in Odisha's Rourkela region on Thursday. Meanwhile, ADM Rourkela Ashutosh Kulkarni told news agency ANI, “Four people died due to heat in Rourkela. Yesterday, 50 patients came to the government hospital with heat-related complaints. Eight other persons were brought dead to the hospital yesterday. The cause of their death will be known after postmortem."

Bihar

At least 19 people died as Bihar witnessed intense heatwave conditions, with temperatures exceeding 44 degrees Celsius. Ten among them were poll personnel.

As per PTI, the death toll due to heat wave conditions in Aurangabad touched 12, while four people died in Kaimur district, including a worker on election duty, on Thursday. Three others died in Bihar's Arrah in Bhojpur district after suffering from extreme heatwaves.

However, according to India Today, 32 people died from heatstroke in Bihar. The report claimed that 17 died in Aurangabad, six in Arrah, three each in Gaya and Rohtas, two in Buxar and one in Patna. In Odisha, 10 people died in Rourkela.

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On Thursday, eight people were reported dead due to suspected heat stroke. These eight deaths due to suspected heat stroke were reported from Arwal, Buxar, Rohtas and Begusarai districts. Police inspector Dadan Prasad Singh also passed away due to heatstroke in Munger.

Jharkhand

At least four people, including a woman, died due to heatwave-related symptoms in Jharkhand’s Palamu district. The four deaths were reported from different parts of the district which recorded the state’s highest maximum temperature at 47.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

"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 told PTI. He said that around 10 people with heatwave-related ailments are undergoing treatment at the district hospital.

Madhya Pradesh

In Madhya Pradesh, two children - aged 12 and 14 years - died reportedly due to heatstroke in Gwalior. The two siblings had gone to get medicines with their mother and grandmother. "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...," CMHO Dr RK Rajoriya was quoted by ANI as saying.

The father of the deceased children said, “I was out for work. They left from home around 9-9.30 am to get medicines. When they returned, they fell ill and died...My mother and wife were with them...They died of heatstroke..."

Uttar Pradesh

Police said that in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi, two people including an elderly woman died allegedly of health complications caused by a heat stroke on Thursday. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Sushpendra Kumar said on Friday, “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."

He said prima facie it appears that the death was caused by complications associated with heat stroke.

Earlier, a woman died and her son was hospitalised due to suspected heat stroke in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur on Thursday, police were quoted by PTI as saying. Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials said Kishori Devi (58), a resident of Chandigarh, was returning home from Chhapra in Bihar in the Harihar Express train with her son Pradeep Mahto and daughter Sarita when her and her son's condition deteriorated.

Sarita said her mother was fine till the train reached Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. As the train left from Varanasi, her mother suddenly started vomiting. By the time the train reached Sultanpur railway station, Kishori Devi fainted and Pradeep's condition also worsened, Sarita claimed.

"Prima facie Kishori Devi died due to heat stroke. The cause of death will be known after the post-mortem report comes," Dr Vikas Srivastava of the Government Medical College was quoted by PTI as saying.

Rajasthan

Five people have so far have died in Rajasthan due to the ongoing heat wave conditions, the Rajasthan government's Director (Public Health) Dr Ravi Prakash Mathur said on Thursday.

Earlier, it was reported that two newborn babies died at the Community Health Centre in Rajasthan. The families of the babies alleged that they died due to heat as there were no coolers in the room and the ceiling fans were of no use. Following this, a three-member committee was formed to probe the matter.

In Jaipur, a rape accused was reported to have died in police custody in Jhunjhunu district on Wednesday, an officer said.

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