5 die due to sunstroke in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Friday confirmed the deaths of five persons due to sunstroke so far, while an inquiry into 18 more casualties suspected to be linked to heat-related illness is currently underway.

Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu said one death each has been confirmed in Balasore, Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj, Sonepur and Bolangir. Additionally, the government has received reports of 18 suspected sunstroke deaths, 12 from Sundargarh district and six from Jharsuguda district. However, Sahu emphasised that the exact cause of these deaths will be confirmed only after post-mortem examinations.

Preliminary investigations indicate that most sunstroke deaths occurred due to work during peak hours, primarily affecting labourers and truck drivers. District administrations have been instructed to probe these deaths, with strict warnings against engaging workers during peak hours, backed by the Disaster Management Act.