5 killed in weather-related accidents, monsoon to hit NE soon

New Delhi, May 29 (UNI) Continuous heat-wave conditions in most parts of Jharkhand claimed three lives during the past 48 hours while two people were killed in torrential rains in Madhya Pradesh.

An engineer from Delhi became the victim of the unbearable heat and fell sick at Bistupur area in Jamshedpur. He was rushed to the Tata Main Hospital in a serious condition but failed to survive. A worker of a private company at Adityapur also became senseless due to scorching heat yesterday and was admitted to the MGM government hospital in Jamshedpur where he died later.

Another 75-year-old man also died after a sunstroke at Uldih area here yesterday.

The mercury soared beyond 40 degrees Celsius for the last few days.

More victims were being admitted to the government and private hospitals as the number increased every day, hospital sources said.

The weather office predicted that the heat wave conditions would continue for few more days in the Chhotanagpur region of the state.

Leelabai(45) and Indar Singh Gurjar(25) died and a woman sustained severe burns when lightning accompanied by strong winds and rains lashed Gurjarkhedi village in Nalkheda police station area of Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh yesterday, police said today.

Meanwhile, mercury again soared in the north-west region but stayed below normal at many places today.

Despite a snowfall and rains in Himachal Pradesh yesterday, the temperatures showed a rising trend in the hilly state. Una with 36.0 degrees Celsius was the hottest place in the state. The maximum (33.9 degrees Celsius) was recorded at Sundernagar in Mandi district, 31.7 degrees at Bhuntar in Kullu disrict and 20.0 degrees at Kalpa in tribal Kinnaur district. Shimla, lashed by rains, was at 22.6 degrees Celsius, a degree below normal.

The mercury also showed upward movement in Punjab, registering 38.9 degrees, two degrees below normal, at Patiala. The maximum hovered below normal by four degrees at Ludhiana and three degrees at Amritsar, respectively recording 37.5 degrees and 37.2 degrees Celsius.

The mercury also rose at Chandigarh and its adjoining areas in Punjab and Haryana. The city recorded 38.0 degrees which was one degree below normal.

People groaned under intensified heat at Hisar with the mercury touching 40.5 degrees Celsius, turning it the hottest place in Haryana. Ambala registered 38.4 degrees and Karnal 39.0 degrees Celsius, one degree below normal.

The Met office has predicted light to moderate rain or thundershowers at few places in Himachal Pradesh and isolated places in Haryana and Punjab during the next 24 hours.

Hailstorm or thundersquall with speed exceeding 45 km per hour is likely to occur at isolated places in the region.

The South West Monsoon is likely to hit the North East in the next three-four days, ahead of the schedule arrival of June 5.

Deputy Director General of the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Guwahati RP Samui said, ''although it will be difficult to predict the exact date, we can say that in the next three-four days monsoon is arriving.'' ''Statistics says that normally there shouldn't be three consecutive years of deficit rainfall. So, Asom is expected to get normal or excess rains this year,'' he said, while allaying fears of flood.

Rain occurred at many places in Kerala and Lakshadweep during the last 24 hours and are likely to continue over the next 48 hours.

Heat wave conditions prevailed at isolated places in Vidarbha. In the regions where the Southwest Monsoon is yet to set in, day temperatures were appreciably above normal in some parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Saurashtra, Kutch, coastal Andhra Pradesh and coastal Tamil Nadu. They were above normal in some parts of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Jharkhand, Bihar, Vidarbha and Chattisgarh.

UNI