Heatwave intensifies: 2 die of sunstroke

Bhubaneswar: Intense heatwave conditions virtually made life unbearable in Wednesday with the mercury soaring above 45°Celsius at six places across the state. Local Met Centre here has predicted harsh weather across the state in the next three days.
The Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre has forecast heatwave conditions in more than 15 districts for three more days and advised people to avoid exposure to Sun.
The temperature across the state breached the 40°Celsius mark in at least 15 places, while coastal and interior areas encountered unbearable heat due to rising temperature coupled with high levels of relative humidity.
Sambalpur in western Odisha turned out to be the hottest place in the state recording 45.6°Celsius followed by 45.3°C at Talcher, 45.2°C each at Hirakud and Sonepur and 45°C at both Jharsuguda and Titlagarh towns, the Met Centre said.
Mercury touched 44.5°Celsius at Sundargarh, while it was 43.9° C at Angul, 42.6°C at Malkangiri, 42.5°C at Bolangir, 41.8°C at Bhawanipatna, 40.9° at Keonjhar and 40.8°C at Chandbali, the weatherman said.
Temperature in Bhubaneswar jumped to 42.4°C, up from 40.3°C recorded Tuesday, while relative humidity in the city stood at 92 per cent, the Met office said.
In Cuttack city, the maximum temperature soared to 40.5°Celsius from 39.8° measured Tuesday.
The IMD said heatwave is likely to prevail at some places in Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Angul, Bargarh, Sonepur, Bolangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi and Boudh districts. Similarly, one or two places in Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khurda and Bhadrak districts will face heatwave, it said.
Meanwhile, two death cases due to sun stroke have been reported Wednesday. The cases are reported from Sarsara and Gaisilat in Bargarh district. One of the deceased was a farmer while another an elderly person of Gaisilat area in the district. As per reports, a labourer died due heatstroke at Nirakarpur in Khurda district Tuesday.
However, the state government has so far, confirmed only one death due to heatwave. Official sources in the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) said they have, so far, received 39 alleged sunstroke death cases from various parts of the state, for which government inquiry has been conducted in four cases.