UP: 54 dead, over 400 hospitalised in Ballia following heatwave

Fifty-four people have died at the district hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia since June 15 due to health complications caused by a heatwave, the Hindustan Times reported on Sunday.

According to officials, around 400 people were admitted to the hospital in the last three days. Out of these, 23 died on June 15, 20 on June 16, and 11 on June 17, according to NDTV.

Chief Medical Officer Jayant Kumar told the Associated Press that most of the deaths were because of heart attack, brain stroke and diarrhoea.

“All the individuals were suffering from some ailments and their conditions worsened due to the extreme heat,” he said.

Several parts of Uttar Pradesh are reeling under a heatwave with temperatures ranging from 42 to 47 degrees Celsius for the past few days, according to The Hindu. For the plains, a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature goes up to 40 degrees Celsius or more and is at least 4.5 degrees above normal.

On Saturday, the additional director of the health department of Azamgarh division, OP Tiwari, said a team from the health department in Lucknow would visit Ballia to assess the situation.

“Maybe there is a disease, which could not be detected,” he said, according to PTI. “At this point, the temperature is also high. During the summers and winters, the death rates...

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