110 heatwave deaths, over 40K cases of heatstroke reported in India

The unrelenting heatwave sweeping large parts of the country has claimed at least 110 lives and left over 40,000 people grappling with suspected heatstroke between March 1 and June 18 this year, Health ministry sources said on Thursday.

Uttar Pradesh is the worst-affected having reported 36 deaths followed by Bihar, Rajasthan and Odisha, according to the data compiled under the National Heat-Related Illness and Death Surveillance by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

"The data visible may not be final submission from states. So the numbers are expected to be higher than this," an official source said.

According to the data, on June 18 alone there have been six deaths due to heatstroke.

Swathes of northern and eastern India have been in the grip of a long heat wave, increasing heat stroke casualties and prompting the Centre to issue advisory to hospitals to set up special units to cater to such patients.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Wednesday directed that specia