At least eight people have died of suspected sunstroke in Odisha over the past three days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted continued hot weather in parts of the state this week.
The IMD declares a heat wave when the temperature in a region is 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius above normal. Bhubaneswar, the capital city, recorded a maximum temperature of 39 degrees Celsius on Monday.
Odisha has reported a total of 159 suspected sunstroke deaths this summer, according to the state emergency operation centre. Of these, sunstroke has been confirmed as the cause of death in 41 cases.
“Seventy-three cases of suspected sunstroke are under inquiry at the district level,” the centre stated.