Heatwave grips east, central and peninsular India; many dead in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh due to cyclone, hailstorm

New Delhi: As heat wave conditions continued unabated in many parts of India, seven more people died in Odisha and Telangana due to sunstroke whereas Assam and Arunachal Pradesh were hit by a sever cyclone followed by hailstorms on Friday.

In Odisha, one more sunstroke death was reported from Sambalpur district, taking the toll due to heatwave to 10. Angul, Baripada, Talcher, Bhawani Patna, Sonepur and Titlagarh braved the searing sun recording maximums in the 40-44 range, though thunderstorm brought some relief to residents in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and parts of coast belt.

In Telangana, the sunstroke toll since the beginning of this summer has surged to 143 from 137, the State Disaster Management department said.

Taking serious note of heat-related deaths, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao ordered all district collectors to take necessary steps to prevent people from getting affected by intense heat wave.

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in a statement said day temperatures were appreciably above normal at a few places in the state.

The highest maximum temperature of 44 degress Celsius was recorded at Badrachalam, Hanmakonda, Nalgonda and Ramagundam.

On the other hand, a severe storm hit parts of Assam last night, killing at least four persons in Tinsukia and Cachar districts. One person was killed in Dibrugarh district when lightning struck his house.

Likewise in Arunachal Pradesh, a woman and a child were killed today when the house, they were staying in, collapsed due to cyclone and hailstorm at Diyun circle in Changlang district.

Sixteen-year-old Kala Thaki and a six-month-old girl Siji Chakma lost their lives in the calamity, an official report said.

Chief Minister Kalikho Pul announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased, the report said.

The state government also sent report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the incident and prevailing situations in the state.

So far 21 people have died due to flood and landslide in the state in past several days.

While a person was drowned at Jengthu River recently, landslide triggered by heavy rain washed out an entire labour camp killing 16 people at Famla village in Tawang district on April 22 last. Two others were killed in fresh landslides in the district the next day.

Meanwhile, Bihar, parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Kerala and Jharkhand continued to reel under the scorching sun. The national capital had a hot day at 40 degrees. The minimum in the city was 21.7 degrees Celsius.

Bankura in West Bengal was the hottest in the country at 45.1 degrees Celsius. Asansol, Burdwan and Sriniketan in the state recorded respective maximums of 44.1, 42.2 and 43 degress Celsius.

In Kerala, a 42-year-old man died of suspected sunstroke in Kottayam district. Seventy cases of sun burn and one death have been reported from the district even as the Kerala government has approached the Centre to declare the state as “drought hit”.

Malampuzha in Palakaad district recorded the highest temperature at 41.5 degrees Celsius for the fourth consecutive day in the state, followed by Kannur and Kozikode at 38.5 degrees each.

In Bihar, Patna was the hottest at 44.3 degrees, followed closely by Gaya at 43.8 and Bhagalpur 43. The local MeT office similar weather conditions will prevail in the next two days.

In Jharkhand, steel hubs of Jamshedpur and Dumka had a high of 44.2 degrees Celsius. Ranchi, Palamau, Jamtara and Khunti also sizzled at 41, 43.3, 41 and 40 degrees Celsius, respectively. Allahabad was the hottest in Uttar Pradesh at 44.3 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, IMD said heatwave conditions are likely to continue over several parts in central and east India till May 10.

(With Agency inputs)