The Odisha government on Friday officially confirmed three deaths due to sunstroke this summer, as scorching heatwave conditions continued to grip the state. According to a report from the Office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), while allegations of 16 heatwave-related deaths were received, four have been ruled out following postmortem reports, three have been confirmed, and the remaining cases are still under scrutiny.
Details of Confirmed Sunstroke Deaths
The SRC situation report detailed the confirmed fatalities. Gabriel Munda, 58, a resident of Fakirmunda village under K Balang police station in Sundargarh district, died last month due to sunstroke. On April 26, Munda felt unwell while digging a well in his village and was declared dead at Lahunipada Community Health Centre. Sundargarh emergency officer Aswini Panda confirmed that ex gratia assistance of Rs 50,000 has been provided to Munda's wife.
Similarly, Bansidhar Bhoi, 46, a teacher in Ulunda block in Subarnapur district, died in April while performing census duties.
Other Weather-Related Incidents
The SRC report also highlighted other weather-related tragedies. Three people—two from Jajpur district and one from Dhenkanal district—died due to lightning strikes in the last 24 hours. The lightning also killed four livestock in Jajpur district. Additionally, three people from Keonjhar district died due to a whirlwind on Thursday.
Temperature Extremes Across Odisha
These incidents occurred as temperatures soared between 40°C and over 44°C in 12 locations across western and interior parts of the state. Jharsuguda remained the hottest, recording 45.2°C on Friday, continuing its trend as the state's hottest spot for several days. Boudh, Sambalpur, and Titlagarh followed closely at 44.5°C, 44.2°C, and 44°C, respectively.
In coastal areas, hot and humid conditions with a high heat index caused widespread discomfort, even though maximum temperatures remained below 40°C in most places compared to the previous day. Bhubaneswar recorded a maximum temperature of 37.7°C, but the heat index—a measure of how hot it feels on the skin—reached 54°C at 2:30 pm on Friday. Humidity in the capital city was 79% at 8:30 am and 74% at 5:30 pm. Tapan Behera, a shopkeeper at Nayapalli, described the conditions as unbearable, noting that even fans release hot air.
Forecast: No Relief Until May 26
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast no relief from the prevailing intense heatwave conditions until May 26. IMD has issued warnings for heatwave to severe heatwave, warm night conditions, and hot and humid conditions for several districts during this period, along with thunderstorm activity warnings in some districts.
The report includes inputs from Malay Ray from Rourkela and Avinash Mohanty from Balangir.
