At least 85 people have died from suspected heat stress and related issues in the past 24 hours in the states of Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, the Hindustan Times reported.
The maximum number of casualties was reported in Odisha, which has been reeling under intense heatwave conditions for the past few days, exacerbated further by high humidity that pushed the index to north of 50°C.
In the eastern state, a total of 46 people died of suspected heat stress in a span of 24 hours, prompting the state government to call for an inquiry by senior officials in the health department.
According to officials, five deaths were reported in Rourkela town of Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Bolangir districts on Friday.
On Thursday, the officials added, 41 people died due to similar reasons. In Rourkela government hospital, eight people were declared dead on arrival between 1.30pm and 8pm on Thursday while two more died shortly after they arrived.
Director of public health, Nilakantha Mishra, said though the exact cause of the deaths can be ascertained only after a post-mortem examination, prima facie it appeared that they occurred as the deceased were working outdoors in the heat during peak hours.
The humidity levels soared past 80% in several coastal areas, according to data provided by the India Meteorological Department. (Hindustan Times)
