Intense heatwave: Sunstroke related death toll mounts to 34 in Odisha

Sunstroke-related deaths rose to 34 in Odisha this summer, with four more confirmed cases, an official statement said on Tuesday.

Till Tuesday, 149 cases of suspected sunstroke deaths have been reported, of which 34 have been confirmed due to heat-related illness, while 24 cases were not due to sunstroke.

The remaining 91 cases are pending inquiry, the statement issued by the state's Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said.

Two suspected sunstroke deaths were reported during the last 24 hours, it added.
 

As of June 3, a total of 147 suspected sunstroke deaths were reported in the state, and of them, 30 cases were confirmed, and it was found that another 20 deaths happened due to other causes, the statement said.

The government has asked districts to ensure post-mortem examination of every suspected sunstroke death for sanction of ex-gratia.

Also, a joint inquiry by the local revenue officer and the local medical officer needs to be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of each death, officials said.