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New Delhi: On Thursday, Delhi's toll amidst the scorching summer climbed to at least 53, as confirmed by public hospitals and state authorities. The relentless heat has persisted since April, claiming lives across the city even as temperatures saw a significant drop overnight due to strong winds.
Health officials at Safdarjung Hospital, managed by the central government, reported an additional 15 deaths due to heat stress, bringing their total count to 21. Similarly, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital recorded 11 more fatalities, raising their toll to 18. Earlier reports had indicated six and seven deaths respectively from these hospitals.
Delhi's health minister, Saurabh Bharadwaj, disclosed that 14 people succumbed to the heat in the last 48 hours alone. However, the status of 40 suspected heat-related deaths reported by Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital remains unconfirmed.
This marks the first official acknowledgment by the state government of deaths attributed to this year's scorching temperatures. Previously, a single heat-related death at the state-run Lok Nayak hospital had been reported. Experts suggest that the actual toll could be much higher, potentially nearing 100, including the unconfirmed cases at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital. Verification through autopsies is necessary to definitively link these deaths to the heat.
The city saw relief from its 11-day heatwave as a western disturbance led to a significant drop in temperatures. Wednesday’s maximum of 43.6°C plummeted to 40°C on Thursday, with the minimum temperature falling from a record 35.2°C to 29.6°C.
Despite the decrease in temperatures, hospitals reported a surge in admissions due to severe heat-related illnesses. Safdarjung Hospital admitted 33 more patients, while RML Hospital received 26 additional cases from Wednesday to Thursday. Currently, 26 patients at RML are in critical condition on life support, with 10 individuals similarly affected at Safdarjung.
Authorities anticipate the toll to rise as investigations continue into unreported cases and the full impact of the recent heatwave becomes clearer.
As many as 192 homeless people died in Delhi due to a heatwave between June 11 and June 19. The report claimed that 80 per cent of the unidentified bodies were of the homeless.
The cremation ground at the Nigambodh Ghat witnessed a rise in the number of cremations in the past three days. Most of those dead are either elderly or homeless people. In Lajpat Nagar, seven such deaths were reported, whole south-west Delhi recorded two casulties. Around 1200 cremations held at Nigambodh Ghat till June 20.
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