Delhi heatwave toll rises to 52, IMD predicts respite in 4-5 days

HEALTH MINISTRY TEAM VISITS CENTRE-RUN HOSPITALS IN DELHI

- CAIITYYA V PILLAI & AAISHA SABIR

A total of 45 fatalities due to suspected heat-related illnesses have been recorded at Ram Manohar Lohia, Safdarjung, and LNJP hospitals, officials said on Thursday. Fifty-two heat-related deaths have been recorded in the Capital to date.

Delhi has been battling searing heatwave conditions over the last few days. Some parts of the city got some relief on Thursday morning due to light drizzle and winds.

Hospitals in Delhi have seen a rise in the number of casualties and patients owing to heatstroke. An official said that between May 27 and 9 a.m. on June 19, the Centre-run hospital got 47 cases of heatstroke.

In the next 24 hours, 26 heatstroke patients were brought to the hospital, the official said.

He also said that between May 27 and 9 a.m. on June 19, the hospital recorded 11 suspected heatstroke deaths, and in the next 24 hours, seven such suspected deaths were reported.

Presently, 32 patients with heat-related illnesses are admitted at RML hospitals, of which 26 are either very sick or on ventilators, he said.

The Safdarjung Hospital, another Centre-run facility in Delhi, has recorded 24 deaths since the beginning of the unrelenting heatwave, hospital authorities said.

The hospital received six new admissions on Thursday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. and two deaths were reported. The hospital has a total of 47 patients with heat-related illnesses, with 29 of them in critical condition, they said.