Severe heatwave leaves at least 45 dead in Bihar in past 24 hours
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed concern over the deaths and announced a compensation of four lakh to the kin of victims. An alert has also been issued by the government in the wake of rising death toll and also advised people to take care while stepping outside.
A severe heatwave in Bihar left at least 45 people dead and more than 100 hospitalised in the past 24 hours, according to news agency IANS. The deaths have been majorly reported from Aurangabad, Gaya and Nawada districts.
Gaya and Patna recorded temperatures above 45 degree Celsius on Saturday, triggering a raging heatwave which led to the deaths.
Aurangabad civil surgeon Dr Surendra Prasad Singh had confirmed that 27 people died due to the heatwave till Saturday night. "Dozens are being treated for it in different hospitals," he said.
Gaya District Magistrate Abhishek Singh confirmed that 14 had died from the region while another district officer said five had died in Nawada region due to extreme heatwave. In both districts combined, more than 60 people are being treated due to heatwave.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed concern over the deaths and announced a compensation of four lakh to the kin of victims. An alert has also been issued by the government in the wake of rising death toll and also advised people to take care while stepping outside.
Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan termed the incident as unfortunate and advised people to avoid moving out of the house till the temperature drops. "Intense heat affects brain and leads to various health issues," he said.
Not just Bihar but many other states across North India have been combating a severe heatwave over the past month. Places like Rajashthan and Madhya Pradesh have witnessed temperatures over 46 degrees on a regular basis.
At one point of time during the last 30 days, over 10 places across India witnessed the hottest temperatures on the planet.