At least 25 poll staff among 40 heat-related deaths

Mirzapur/Patna: India witnessed at least 40 suspected heat-related deaths on Friday, with 25 fatalities among staff deployed for Lok Sabha poll duty in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, amidst widespread heatwave conditions across the country.

According to officials, on Thursday alone, heat-related deaths were reported from Odisha (10), Bihar (8), Jharkhand (4), and Uttar Pradesh (1). Additionally, Rajasthan has reported at least five heat-related deaths so far.

Among the casualties recorded on Friday, Uttar Pradesh reported the highest with 17 deaths, followed by Bihar with 14, Odisha with five, and Jharkhand with four. In Jharkhand, officials mentioned that over 1,300 individuals are hospitalized with heatstroke conditions.

The surging temperatures have also led to water scarcity in various parts of the country, including Delhi, where residents faced acute shortages. Long queues formed as people struggled to access water for their daily needs.

“I stand in line from 4 am, but due to the crowd, I cannot reach the water tanker... It’s hard to get water,” expressed Vibha Devi, a resident of Delhi’s Geeta Colony.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Kanpur (IAF) weather station recorded the highest temperature in the country at 48.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Haryana’s Sirsa at 47.8 degrees Celsius. Delhi’s Ayanagar recorded the maximum temperature for the city at 47 degrees Celsius.

The IMD reported heatwave to severe heatwave conditions prevailing over many parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as in some parts of Bihar, east Madhya Pradesh, and isolated pockets of Odisha and Jharkhand.

Heatwave conditions also persisted in some parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Vidarbha, West Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

However, the IMD forecasted a likely abatement of these conditions over the next two-three days.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh officials disclosed that at least 15 election staff members died due to suspected heatstroke, with 13 casualties reported in Mirzapur and two in Sonbhadra district. In Bihar, fourteen individuals, including 10 polling personnel, succumbed to heatstroke in the past two days, with casualties reported in Rohtas, Kaimur, and Aurangabad districts.

Due to the prevailing heatwave conditions, all schools, coaching institutes, and anganwadi centres in affected areas have been shut till June 8.

Furthermore, the Odisha government confirmed five sunstroke-related deaths, while an inquiry into 18 more suspected heat-related casualties is ongoing. In Jharkhand, four persons died of sunstroke, and 1,326 others were admitted to hospitals due to heat-related issues, with 63 confirmed cases of heatstroke so far.

Amidst these developments, the IMD announced the advancement of the Southwest Monsoon into remaining parts of the northeast Bay of Bengal and some parts of the northwest Bay of Bengal, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim.