Sunstroke toll rises to 42 in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The sunstroke death toll in Odisha rose to 42 today as the heat wave like condition prevailed in western part of Odisha though the day temperature dropped substantially in the coastal districts.

A report from the Special Relief Commissioner's office said the toll due to sunstroke increased to 42 with one person succumbing to the heat at Balangir district in western Odisha.

The day temperature in Bhubaneswar dropped to 38.7 degrees Celsius from 44 degree Celsius yesterday but Balangir sizzled at 43 degrees Celsiuses against 42 degrees yesterday.

At least eight major towns recorded temperatures of above 40 degrees Celsiuses compared to 14 places yesterday.

The places which sizzled above 40 degree were Sundergarh (42.5), Titlagarh (42), Sambalpur (41.6), Angul (41.3), Jharsuguda (41.1) and Bhawanipatna (41.5).

The high humidity level made life unbearable in the state capital. The relative humidity ratio was 85 per cent against yesterday's 66 per cent.

The IMD today warned of thunder squall, accompanied with hail and gusty surface wind speeds reaching 70 kmph in many parts of Odisha in the next 24 hours.