MALAPPURAM: A farmer collapsed and died while working in a paddy field at Thirunavaya near here on Friday in a suspected case of sunstroke. There were several sunburn marks on the body of Sudhikumar, 43, of Kuttiyath House at Thiruthi.
However, the police said after the preliminary investigation that sunstroke or cardiac arrest might be the reason for the death. The police have identified sunburns on Sudhikumar’s chest and legs.
According to the police, the incident occurred between 11 am and noon. Sudhikumar and other farmers had been working in the field since 6 am. Though the others stopped working around 10 am, Sudhikumar continued with it.
Later, when the others (who had earlier left the spot) couldn’t reach him over the phone, they returned to the field and saw him lying unconscious.
Though they rushed him to a hospital, the doctors declared him brought dead. The body was later taken to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for postmortem examination, which will be conducted on Saturday.
“The exact cause of death can be ascertained only after receiving the postmortem report. According to the doctors, Sudhikumar was a heart patient. Also, he might have sustained the sunburns after he collapsed on the paddy field,” said Tirur Sub-Inspector Vijayan L M.
Meanwhile, District Medical Officer K Sakeena said in this case, the exact reason for the death will be known only after the postmortem examination and when the police discloses the same.
“We all know that the temperature is rising and people should take adequate measures to protect themselves from sunburns and heatstroke. One should be careful by staying hydrated during the day,” said Sakeena.
The DMO also urged the people, especially daily labourers, children and elderly to stay out of direct sunlight.