Eleven people succumbed to heatstroke yesterday during a Maharashtra Bhushan award event attended by Indian Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Sinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.
CM Shinde later paid a visit to a hospital where some 50 people were admitted with heat-related health issues and announced INR 5 lakh compensation to the families of the people who died yesterday.
At the event in Navi Mumbai, Shah presented the award instituted by the Maharashtra government to social activist Appasaheb Dharmadhikari. Over three lakh people gathered for the event yesterday and the maximum day temperature was recorded at 38 degrees Celsius. The award ceremony started at 11.30 am and went on till 1 pm.
Over 120 people were hospitalised nearby with heat-related health issues, like dehydration, due exposure to sunlight yesterday.
The ground was packed with people and equipped with audio and video facilities for them to see the event. There was, however, little to no direct protection for the audience from the sun and the heat.
In a statement, Shinde called the incident "unfortunate" and announced state compensation for the families of those who died.
"As per the briefing received from doctors, 7-8 people have died today, while 24 are being treated. This is a case of sunstroke. Some 50 people were admitted to the hospital, of which 24 are still there while the rest have been discharged after primary treatment," Shinde told reporters while coming out from the hospital.
Fadnavis tweeted the government will pay for treatment of those who suffered heat-related illness.
"It is very unfortunate and painful that some members participating in the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony this morning died due to heatstroke… We share the grief of their families," Fadnavis tweeted in Marathi.
IMD issues heat wave alert across five states
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a warning about rising temperatures last week. Some parts of the country will see a rise in temperature by 3-5 degree Celsius over the next five days, it said.
The meteorological agency has reported that heatwave conditions have persisted in isolated areas of Gangetic West Bengal for the past five days, coastal Andhra Pradesh for the past three days, and Bihar for the past two days.
In West Bengal, all educational institutions in the state have been instructed to remain closed for a week starting from today.
Increase in temperature was seen in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and the North West. Maximum temperatures in the range of 39-42 degrees Celsius are expected over many parts of central and east India this week.
India also reported its hottest February this year since record-keeping began in 1901, according to the IMD. Above-normal rainfall, however, kept temperatures in check in March.