44 Die in Bihar due to Heatwave

Patna, June 16, 2019:

At least 44 persons have died in Bihar due to a 'heatwave' that has hit three Bihar districts, according to sources.

The officials at the Disaster Management Control Room said 22 people died in Aurangabad, 20 in Gaya and two in Nawada districts.

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over the deaths due to the “loo” winds and the "heatstroke" in the three districts and has announced a payment of Rs four lakh as ex-gratia to the next of kin of those killed, an official release said.

Kumar ordered payment of Rs four lakh as ex-gratia from the state disaster relief fund to the next of kin of those killed due to the heatwave in the three districts.

Kumar has also ordered officials to tackle the situation and ensure that people are given proper assistance in the face of this intense heat and loo.

Major cities such as Patna, Gaya and Bhagalpur witnessed the heatwave on Saturday.

According to the Patna Meteorological Centre, the state capital registered a maximum temperature of 45.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the highest in June in the last 10 years, while Gaya and Bhagalpur recorded a high of 45.2 and 41.5 degrees Celsius respectively.

It may be mentioned that a 'heatwave' is declared when the maximum temperature is 4.5 degrees Celsius above normal for two consecutive days.

Saturday’s maximum temperatures recorded in Patna, Gaya and Bhagalpur were 9.2 degrees, 7.6 degrees and 5.5 degrees Celsius above normal respectively.

The MeT department has forecast that the heatwave will continue in these three cities on Sunday too.

Meanwhile, all schools in Patna has been closed down till June 19 due to the soaring mercury.

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