BHUBANESWAR: The government on Friday confirmed three heatwave related deaths in the state. The office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said in a situation report that the deaths were reported from Balangir, Sundargarh and Sonepur districts.
As many as 16 suspected heat-related deaths were examined and three of these have been confirmed to have been caused by sunstroke so far. The report said four cases were found to be not caused by heatwave, while the remaining are under investigation by district authorities.
Meanwhile, the SRC said that six deaths were also confirmed due to whirlwinds and lightnings. The SRC office said Keonjhar district reported three casualties due to nor’wester while two human casualties have been reported from Jajpur district due to lightning. One death due to lightning has been reported from Dhenkanal district.
SRC RP Patil urged people to avoid direct sun exposure between 11 am and 3 pm, stay hydrated, and take necessary precautions.
Meanwhile, heatwave conditions prevailed in western Odisha districts with Jharsuguda recording the highest temperature of 45.2 degree Celsius. While Boudh, Sambalpur and Bolangir recorded 44.5 degree Celsius, 44.2 degree Celsius and 44 degree celsius respectively.