As many as 54 people have died due to the ongoing heatwave in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia in India, while 44 people have reportedly lost their lives in Bihar in the last three days, Report informs via the Business Standard.
The deaths in Ballia prompted the Uttar Pradesh government to launch a probe.
It is to be noted that Ballia alone is not reeling under the heatwave. Several other districts in UP and other states in north India also swelter under severe heat.
At least 54 people admitted to a district hospital in Ballia died between June 15, 16 and 17 with scorching heat aggravating their pre-existing ailments.
Most of the patients were over the age of 60, officials said.
While 23 people died on June 15, 11 others died till the afternoon of June 16, a statement issued by the district health department said. Later, however, 10 more people died on Friday, a senior official at the hospital said.
On Saturday, 10 more deaths were reported in Ballia. The Ballia district recorded a maximum temperature of 43°C, five degrees above normal and a relative humidity of 25%, aggravating the impact of heat.
In Bihar, of 44 deaths, 35 have died in Patna alone – 19 patients died in Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) and 16 in PMCH. Nine people have died in other districts of the state, India Today reported.
As per daily weather bulletin, Sheikhpura remained the hottest place in the state with the maximum temperature of 45.1°C, Patna 44.7°C, Gaya 44.1°C, West Champaran 44.4°C, Bhojpur 44.5°C, Auranagabad 44.8°C, Nawada 44.1°C and Siwan 44°C on Saturday.
All schools in Patna have been shut till June 24.