Indian Express 24.05.2010
Heatwave kills 29 in 3 days in Ahmedabad
Express News Service Tags : corporation Posted: Mon May 24 2010, 04:53 hrs
Ahmedabad/Vadodara: At least 29 people have died of heatstroke in the city alone in the last three days, according to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). Elsewhere, there was no respite from the heat wave on Sunday, as the mercury continued to breach the 40-degree Celsius mark in most part of the state.In the last 24 hours, over 15 people have fallen prey to the extreme weather conditions across Gujarat, which, according to the Meteorological Department, is likely to remain the same for at least the next two days.
On Sunday, Idar in Sabarkantha remained the hottest in Gujarat at 46.4 degree Celsius. In north Gujarat, Deesa recorded a maximum temperature of 46.2 degree Celsius while Gandhinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 44.8 degree Celsius.
In Ahmedabad, where at least 12 people have died due to the hot weather condition since Saturday night, locals performed a yajna to get respite from the heat as the mercury touched 45.8 degree Celsius.
Mehsana district health officials said the prevailing heat wave conditions claimed two lives on Sunday. The condition was no different in Vadodara where two persons died as temperature soared up to 43.2 degree Celsius.
A 40-year-old man from Bharuch, who was travelling to Vadodara, was found unconscious near Varnama. He was declared dead at the Sir Sayajirao General Hospital. “He was driving a two-wheeler to Vadodara in the afternoon,” said an officer at the Varnama police station.
Wadi police station registered the death of 70-year-old differently-abled Yusuf Khan, a resident of Bamanpura. He was found dead on a footpath in Wadi.
Another 70-year-old unidentified woman was found unconscious near Kirti Mandir. She was admitted to SSG Hospital where her condition is said to be serious.
The 108 emergency service received over 18 calls from across Vadodara district — all related to heatstroke.“We received seven calls from the city and 11 from the rural areas, for heatstroke cases,” said Dhruv Joshi, district manager, 108 EMRI.
The Saurashtra region also continued to reel under an excessive heat wave. Rajkot recorded a maximum temperature of 44.3 degrees Celsius while Bhuj and Bhavnagar recorded maximum temperature of 42.4 and 42.6 degrees Celsius.
