Heatwave: 3 more said to die from heatstroke

Three individuals in three different districts - Meherpur, Narsingdi and Sylhet - are said to have died from heatstrokes on Sunday as the country continues to reel in the throes of a suffocating heatwave hitting record high temperatures, from which there is seemingly no respite.

With this, five people died from heatstroke in the past two days - at least based on preliminary analyses.

In Meherpur, a 45-year-old housewife, Shilpi Khatun, apparently died from heatstroke in Meherpur's Gangni upazila on Sunday morning.

The victim was wife of Abu Taher of Ruyerkandi village in the upazila.

Her son Rawnak Hossain said his mother suddenly felt sick while working on the house yard amid the scorching heat in the morning though she was in good health.

She breathed her last while preparations were being made to take her to hospital, he said.

In Narsingdi, a young man named Shafqat Jameel Iban died from heat stroke on Sunday afternoon.

He was the son of late Zakaria of Bhagirathpur village of Madhavadi and was a garment businessman.

Dr Mahmudul Kabir Bashar, resident medical officer of Sadar Hospital, said the exact cause of his death could not be ascertained, although it initially appeared to be heat stroke.

Meanwhile, a rickshaw puller died from heat stroke in Sylhet's Dakshin Surma upazila.

His death occurred in front of the South Surma police box on Sunday at noon.

Yardous Hasan, officer-in-charge of Dakshin Surma Police Station, said rickshaw puller Abu Hanif fainted in front of the Police Box around 12:30pm.

Later, locals rescued him and took him to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital Deputy Director Dr Soumitra Chakraborty voiced doubts as to whether the death could be put down to heatstroke.

"He might have died from a simple stroke or any other cause," Dr Soumitra added.

In any case, his body was being kept at the hospital morgue.

According to the BMD, a very severe heatwave is sweeping over Pabna and Chuadanga districts while severe heatwave is sweeping over the districts of Rajshahi, Tangail, Jashore and Kushtia. Mild to moderate heatwave is sweeping over Rangpur, Barishal and Mymensingh divisions and rest parts of Dhaka, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions and the districts of Srimangal and Chandpur and it may continue.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and ICDDR, B issued some guidelines in an effort to minimise health risk due to the scorching heat.