10 Poll Personnel Among 14 Dead Due To Heatstroke in

Patna, May 31: Fourteen people, including 10 polling personnel, have died due to heatstroke in Bihar in the last 24 hours, officials said on Friday afternoon.

In a statement issued by the Disaster Management Department, most of the fatalities were reported from Bhojpur, where five officials on election duty died of heatstroke. Three election officials died in Rohtas, and one each died in Kaimur and Aurangabad districts, it said.

Four other people died in different parts of the state, it added. The process of granting ex-gratia to the families of the deceased has been initiated, said the statement.

The state is reeling under sizzling heat as the mercury crossed 44 degrees Celsius at several places. On Thursday, Buxar was the hottest at 47.1 degrees Celsius.

Due to the heatwave conditions, all schools, coaching institutes, and anganwadi centres were shut till June 8. The extreme weather has caused widespread concern among residents and authorities.

In a post on X, leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav said, “When government-run schools have already been closed because of pressure from the opposition, why are teachers being asked to come to schools in this intense heat wave conditions? What will teachers do when students themselves are not in school? Teachers must be given leave in this scorching heat.”

The heatwave has posed a significant challenge to the ongoing elections. Elections to the 40 Lok Sabha seats were being held over seven phases, with polling in eight seats scheduled on Saturday.

Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have urged people to take necessary precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses. The government is also working to provide relief and support to those affected by the extreme weather.