Heat wave toll rises to 5

BHUBANESWAR, MAY 12. The toll due to the current heat wave sweeping several districts of Orissa has gone upto at least five with three more deaths reported on Friday

The revenue control room here said that two people died of sun- stroke in Sambalpur district. In the western region, the coastal districts of Cuttack, Khurda and Nayagarh reported one death each.

However, the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Mr. Debi Prasad Mishra, while addressing a seminar on Heat wave here on Friday, had claimed that seven persons had died of sun stroke so far.

The intense heat wave sweeping the western districts continued unabated,totally paralysing normal life.

While the districts of Bolangir, Kalahandi and Sambalpur continued to reel under intense heat with mercury rising over 45 deg C at many places, the situation in the colliery belt of Talcher was much better today.

The temperature in Talcher town, which had shot upto 48 deg C on Friday, had come down by about 6 degrees today.

The State capital, Bhubaneswar, which recorded 44.6 deg C on Friday, also had a respite today as the maximum day temaperature came down to 40.4 deg C.

The people in most of the western districts are facing an acute drinking water shortage with wells and other water sources going dry.

Many parts of Cuttack city which registered 41 deg C on Friday, continued to swelter as power supply was yet to be restored in several areas after damages caused to the electric installations the storm last Tuesday.

- PTI

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