Bhubaneswar, June 3: At least 20 people have succumbed to sunstroke in Odisha since Friday as the state grapples with intense heatwave conditions. According to an official statement, 99 suspected sunstroke deaths were reported from various districts over the past three days. Post-mortem examinations and joint inquiries confirmed 20 of these as sunstroke deaths, while two others were attributed to different causes.

The statement noted that investigations are ongoing for the remaining suspected sunstroke deaths. Most of the reported cases came from the districts of Bolangir, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Subarnapur, Sundargarh, and Balasore.

Earlier, there were reports of 42 suspected sunstroke deaths across different districts, with six cases confirmed as sunstroke-related and six others found to be due to other causes.

Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena and Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahu reviewed the heatwave situation with District Collectors on Sunday. They directed district administrations to implement the advisory on heatwaves and take precautionary measures.

Districts were also instructed to ensure post-mortem examinations for every suspected sunstroke death to facilitate the sanctioning of ex-gratia payments. Additionally, a joint inquiry by the local revenue officer (tehsildar) and medical officer is mandatory to determine the exact cause of each death.

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