As many as 54 people have died due to the ongoing heatwave in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia, while 44 people have reportedly lost their lives in Bihar in the last three days.
The deaths in Ballia prompted the Uttar Pradesh government to launch a probe and transfer the chief medical superintendent of district hospital, Diwakar Singh, to Azamgarh. He has been made additional director (health) of the Azamgarh division.
It is to be noted that Ballia alone is not reeling under the heatwave. Several other districts in UP and other states in north India also swelter under severe heat.
Top updates on heatwaves in UP and Bihar:
At least 54 people admitted to a district hospital in Ballia died between June 15, 16 and 17 with scorching heat aggravating their pre-existing ailments.
Most of the patients were over the age of 60, officials said.
While 23 people died on June 15, 11 others died till the afternoon of June 16, a statement issued by the district health department said. Later, however, 10 more people died on Friday, a senior official at the hospital said.
On Saturday, 10 more deaths were reported in Ballia.
On Saturday, the Ballia district recorded a maximum temperature of 43°C, five degrees above normal and a relative humidity of 25%, aggravating the impact of heat.
Dr SK Yadav has been given charge of chief medical superintendent of Ballia.
“All the individuals were suffering from some ailments and their conditions worsened due to the extreme heat,” Ballia chief medical officer Jayant Kumar told Associated Press on Saturday. He added that most of the deaths were because of heart attack, brain stroke and diarrhea.
In Bihar, of 44 deaths, 35 have died in Patna alone – 19 patients died in Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) and 16 in PMCH. Nine people have died in other districts of the state, India Today reported.
As per daily weather bulletin, Sheikhpura remained the hottest place in the state with the maximum temperature of 45.1°C, Patna 44.7°C, Gaya 44.1°C, West Champaran 44.4°C, Bhojpur 44.5°C, Auranagabad 44.8°C, Nawada 44.1°C and Siwan 44°C on Saturday.
All schools in Patna have been shut till June 24.