Sweltering heat devours five lives in India

New Delhi, 1 May (UNI) Heat wave conditions have so far claimed five lives at few states in the country with Maharashtra recording the highest temperature today.

Bhusawal town in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra was recorded as the hottest place in the country as the mercury shot up to 46 degrees Celsius with the scorching heat wave conditions continuing in the region.

A special sun-stroke ward has been set up in the Jalgaon district hospital, where four deaths due to sun-stroke have been reported.

In Punjab, where the heat wave has already claimed the life of a person, the mercury soared to 43.4 degrees, six degrees above normal at Amritsar which was the hottest place in the State. However, the temperature remained static at 42.6 degrees at Patiala while Ludhiana registered 42.2 degrees celsius.

In the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, mercury crossed 40 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature recorded was 19.0 degrees.

Meanwhile, around eight people were killed as three vehicles, carrying about two dozen people, were buried under a heavy landslide on road at Salaran in Chhatru area of hilly Kishtwar district in Jammu.

In the national capital, a thick cloud cover over the skyline and a thunderstorm brought some relief to Delhiites from the scorching heat even when rise in humidity levels led to a rise in mercury. The maximum temperature rose to 42.6 degrees, four degrees above normal, the minimum rose to 24.2 degrees.

In Himachal Pradesh, Una in lower hills recorded the maximum at 41.0 degrees, Mandi 38.2, Sundernagar 37.8, Bhuntar 32.0, Dharamsala 34.5 and Shimla 26.9 degrees Celsius.

In Uttar Pradesh, the day temperature changed a little in all divisions of UP and was appreciably above normal in Varanasi, Faizabad, Allahabad, Kanpur, Lucknow and Bareilly.

Banda stood the hottest at 45.5 degrees Celsius, which was 4 notches above normal. Allahabad was the second hot city in the state at 44.7 degrees, followed by Varanasi 44.6, Kanpur 43.8, Lucknow 43, Bareilly 42 and Gorakhpur 40.

Day temperatures in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chattisgarh and Tamil Nadu were appreciably to markedly recorded above normal.

Sporadic rain or thundershowers have also occurred at many places in Assam, Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Chattisgarh, and Karnataka.

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