16 die of sunstroke in AP

New Delhi, May 17 (UNI) Sixteen people died of sunstroke in several parts of the Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh in the past several days due to continuing severe heatwave conditions.

One person was killed and two others injured when lightning struck at a house in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir last night, police said here today. Meanwhile, 17 houses were damaged in a cloud burst at Pranoo in Doda district.

Two people, including a woman, were killed when a pillar collapsed in Lohta area of Uttar Pradesh, following heavy rainfall last night.

Temperatures continued to rise in other parts of the country with rains at some places.

After pleasant weather yesterday, mercury again shot up by six degrees in the Kashmir valley today recording a maximum temperature of 28.1 degrees Celsius, forcing the people to stay indoors during the day. Jammu continued to be hot today with maximum temperature recorded at 38.8 degrees Celsius.

A day after sudden burst of heavy rainfall brought down the maximum temperature by 14 degrees Celsius, cool Southerly winds continued to provide Delhiites relief from scorching heat with the mercury dropping to 36.3 degrees Celsius, five degrees below normal.

Surface communication disrupted in Arunachal following landslides at several locations due to incessant rainfall during the last couple of days.

Vehicular traffic on National Highway 39 continued to remain disrupted for the third day today, following major landslide below the Naga Hospital in Nagaland.

Although the sky remained cloudy, mercury level kept rising in Kolkata with the day recording a Maximum temperature at 34.9 degrees Celsius. The maximum relative humidity was pegged at 96 per cent and the minimum at 59 per cent.

Isolated rain was recorded overnight in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar, Rewa and Jabalpur divisions due to cyclonic circulation over this state's northeastern part and neighbouring Chhattisgarh.The state capital witnessed an evening drizzle accompanied by winds. Sheopur Kalan sizzled at 44 degrees Celsius.

People in Chennai had no respite from the severe heatwave conditions, as the mercury continued to soar above 40 degree C for the 11th day today. Nungambakkam recorded a maximum temperature of 41.3 degree C, while suburban Meenambakkam registered 42.5 degree C .

According to the Meteorological Department, there would be no respite from the heatwave conditions for the next two days.

Fifty houses were inundated by incursion of seawater into land due to high tide at some places in the Alappuzha district of Kerala Day temperatures were appreciably above normal in some parts of Konkan, Goa, coastal Karnataka and in remaining parts of Tamil Nadu.

Heatwave conditions prevailed in some parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and at isolated places in west Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Heavy rains have occurred at a few places in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Day temperatures were appreciably to markedly below normal in some parts of Asom, Meghalaya, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and Haryana, and were below normal in some parts of West Bengal, Sikkim, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Maharashtra and in remaining parts of west Rajasthan. They were normal over the rest of the country.

Heavy rains are likely to occur at a many places in Gangetic West Bengal and Orissa.

Rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at many places in Arunachal Pradesh, Asom, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at isolated places in Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttaranchal, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, south Konkan, Goa, south Madhya Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala.

Mainly dry weather will prevail over Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Gujarat, north Konkan, north Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Telanagana and Lakshadweep.

UNI