Sweltering heat back in Odisha, Angul hottest

Bhubaneswar:  After a day's respite, sweltering heat revived in Odisha on Monday with the mercury climbing to 43.5 degree Celsius at Angul, making it the hottest place in the state.

However, in some of the coastal areas the temperature dropped marginally. In Bhubaneswar the maximum temperature fell to 38.4 degree celsius from 40.6 degree C recorded yesterday, while in neighbouring Cuttack city the mercury stood at 38 deg C, the Met office said.

The mercury breached the 40-degree mark in at least 11 places in the state during the day.

The maximum temperature in Angul town, which recorded 42.1 degree celsius yesterday, soared to 43.5 deg C.

Jharsuguda was a close second recording 43.2 degree celsius, up from 41.2 degrees yesterday. The mercury touched 43 degree celsius at both Balangir and Titlagarh, while it was 42.6 deg C at Hirakud and 42.3 deg C at Sambalpur, the met office bulletin said.

The maximum temperature was 41.8 degree celsius at Talcher, 41.5 degree celsius at Bhawanipatna, 41 degree at both Keonjhargarh and Sonepur and 40 degree at Malkangiri, it said.

Sunstroke has claimed three lives in the state this summer so far with the casualties reported from Bargarh, Angul and Balangir districts, the Special Relief Commissioner's office said.