Bhubaneswar, April 30 (Inditop) The death toll in the heat wave sweeping across Orissa has risen to 11 Thursday with eight of the victims dying during the past seven days, an official said Thursday.
“Four people died in the district of Khordha followed by two each in Jajpur and Balasore districts,” M.R. Choudhury, officer on special duty in the state revenue control room, told IANS.
He said one each died in Jagatsinghpur, Sambalpur and Ganjam.
“Since the past one month, the state government has received claims of 67 deaths due to heat wave. Health officials have verified 31 of them and found that 20 died of other causes,” he said.
“We are awaiting information about the remaining 36 deaths from concerned district administrations,” he said.
Orissa is reeling under a severe heat wave with some areas witnessing temperatures over 45 degrees Celsius.
While Jharsuguda town recorded 45.6 degrees Celsius temperature Wednesday, the western towns of Titilagarh, Bolangir and Sundergarh recorded 45 degrees Celsius each on the same day, the Bhubaneswar meteorological office said in a release.
The coastal belts recorded comparatively less temperature with state capital Bhubaneswar recording 38.6 degrees and its adjoining Cuttack town 38.8 degrees Wednesday.
