Heatstroke strikes down two more

Ahmedabad: With two more persons, including an 83-year-old woman, succumbing to heatstroke here on Monday in two Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) run hospitals and one person died in Gandhidham, the death toll due to killer heat condition has climbed to 28 in Gujarat. However, the civic authority is seemed to have done their work just by issuing another orange alert for Tuesday and advisory to avoid heatstroke.
Besides these heat related casualties in Ahmedabad, one beggar, aged around 45 years, died in Gandhidham town in Kutch district, said officials.
A 27-year-old youth identified as Mohammed Tahir Ismail Shaikh, a resident of Dariyapur area of the city, died due to heatstroke on Monday at the AMC-run V S Hospital in Paldi area here.
Dr Sandip Malhan, superintendent of V S Hospital said, "Shaikh was suffering from high fever due to heatstroke since he was admitted in the hospital on May 16. After being hospitalized for around a week, he succumbed to the heatstroke in the wee hours of Monday."
The second death was reported in AMC-run Shardaben Hospital in Saraspur area here where a 83-year-old woman Vimalaben Ramlal Shah, a resident of Vasan Sheri in Saraspur, succumbed to heatstroke, said a statement from the civic authority.
According to the statement, 82 persons, which include seven from outside the city, have been hospitalized due to heatstroke in various AMC-run hospitals. Sources said that around five of them are critical. Sounding orange alert, AMC cautioned that the maximum temperature is likely to remain at 43 degree Celsius on Tuesday.
On Monday, the city has recorded 43 degree Celsius maximum temperature. However, windy atmosphere for two consecutive days gave some respite from the heat, but dust-storm increased difficulties of the citizens especially while driving vehicles. The neighbouring town Gandhinagar has, too, recorded maximum temperature at 43 degree Celsius.Bhavnagar town in Saurashtra region was the hottest in the state with maximum temperature at 43.4 degree Celsius.