At least 41 sunstroke deaths have been reported in Odisha this summer, while 73 other cases are pending inquiry, according to an official statement.
During this summer season till Monday, 159 cases of alleged sunstroke deaths have been reported in the state.
Of these, 41 have been confirmed due to heat-related illnesses, while 45 deaths were found not to be due to sunstroke, while 73 remaining cases were pending inquiry, the statement issued by the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said.
Eight suspected sunstroke deaths were reported from different districts in the last three deaths and investigation is underway to ascertain the reasons behind the deaths, it said.
The state government had earlier asked districts to ensure post-mortem examination of every suspected sunstroke death for sanction of ex-gratia amounts.
Also, a joint inquiry by the local revenue officer and the local medical officer needs to be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of each death, officials said.
Heatwave conditions continued to put normal life out of gear in most places across Odisha on Monday.
In its evening bulletin, the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre said 20 places in the state recorded a maximum temperature of 40 degrees Celsius or above on Monday.
Nuapada town in western Odisha was the hottest place in Odisha, recording a temperature of 44 degrees Celsius. It was followed by Boudh (42.8), Paralakhemundi (42.4), Bolangir (42.2) and Baripada (42).
Heatwave conditions would prevail in the districts of Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Khurda, Nuapada, Bolangir, Gajapati, Ganjam, Boudh, and Jharsuguda on Tuesday.
Similarly, hot and humid weather conditions would be experienced in Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, and Puri districts on June 11, it said.
