india

Updated: Jun 19, 2019 07:45 IST

The ongoing heat wave in central Bihar continued to wreak havoc in the region, killing at least 90 people in June, officials said on Tuesday.

Officials of the disaster management department (DMD), which has already issued an advisory after the heatstroke deaths spiralled in the past three days, feared that the toll might go up.

Chief secretary Deepak Kumar said on Monday as many as 562 persons suffering from heatstroke were admitted in government hospitals in different parts of the state.

The district magistrates of Gaya and Darbhanga have invoked Section 144 of the CrPC to ban all public activities during the day time. Due to continuing heat wave, the state government on Monday ordered suspension of academic activities in all schools, colleges and educational institutes across the state till June 22 apart from ordering closure of markets between 11 am to 5 pm in south Bihar districts of Gaya, Aurangabad and Nawada.

According to official figures, Aurangabad witnessed 41 deaths, Gaya 35 and Nawada 14 since June 15 after the region came under the grip of heat wave.

“Some more deaths due to the heatstroke were reported from districts like Jamui and Munger. However, an official confirmation could not be given as the families took the deceased’s body before post-mortem,” said an official of the state emergency operation centre of DMD, adding that an ex-gratia payment of ~4 lakh was given to family of a deceased.

A DRD official of the Disaster Management Department Control Room in Patna said 35 people died in Gaya, 34 in Aurangabad and 14 in Nawada due to heat wave since Saturday.

Major cities in Bihar — Patna, Gaya and Bhagalpur — have been witnessing heat wave for the past couple of days.Patna recorded a maximum temperature of 41 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Gaya and Aurangabad town also recorded a maximum of 41 degrees Celsius, while in Bhagalpur, the mercury touched 39 degrees Celsius, the MeT department said. A heat wave is declared when the maximum temperature is recorded at 4.5 degrees or more above the normal for two consecutive days, a Met official said.