By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : A heat wave sweeping Orissa has killed at least 19 people and hospitalised over 100 as temperatures soared over 45 degree Celsius, an official said Monday.
“The death toll can be more,” D.N. Sahu, an officer on special duty at the state revenue control room, told IANS.
“We are still awaiting medical reports related to deaths of 22 more people allegedly due to sunstroke,” she said.
A large number of people die in Orissa due to sunstroke during summers. More than 2,000 had died in a severe heat wave that swept the state May 1998.
People in many places in the coastal state Monday suffered temperatures above 40 degree Celsius with Sundergarh town in western Orissa recording the highest temperature at 45 degree, an official of the Bhubaneswar meteorological office here told IANS.
The high temperatures recorded in other places Monday include western Orissa towns of Jharsuguda (43.8), Titlagarh (44.2), Bolangir (43.8), Malkangiri (42), Phulbani (41.2) and Angul (43.1).
Coastal areas, however, were spared the heat ravages compared to western Orissa. While state capital Bhubaneswar witnessed 38.3 degree, Balasore, Paradeep, Puri and Cuttack recorded 37 degree, 33.1 degree, 33.6 degree and 38.1 degrees, respectively.