Heatwave: Ten Suspected Heatstroke Deaths Recorded in Rourkela, Odisha

On Thursday, officials reported ten suspected heatstroke fatalities in Rourkela city, Odisha, as temperatures soared across the eastern state. According to Dr. Sudharani Pradhan, the director-in-charge of Rourkela Government Hospital, the deaths occurred within a six-hour window starting from 2 pm.She noted that eight individuals succumbed before reaching the hospital, while the remaining fatalities happened during treatment, likely attributed to the severe heatwave.

With the state bearing the brunt of a blazing heatwave since the last 15 days making it one of the longest spells since 2016, IMD officials on Tuesday said Baripada, Balasore and state capital Bhubaneswar figured in the list of top 10 hottest places in the world on the day. While day temperature for the month of April broke all records in Baripada and Balasore, Bhubaneswar sizzled at over 45 degree Celsius. Of the 10 hottest places, Baripada stood second in the list followed by Balasore at third and Bhubaneswar at 10th. Joba in Oman topped the list, IMD sources said.

Met officials said Baripada stood the hottest in the state at 46.4 degree C which is an all-time high day temperature for the station in the month of April. The previous highest temperature of 46.1 degree Celsius had been recorded in the north Odisha town on April 21, 2010. Similarly, Balasore also recorded 46 degree Celsius, a departure of 10.1 degree Celsius than the normal temperature and an all-time record for the coastal town in the month of April. The city had previously recorded temperature of 45 degree Celsius in April