Two Sunstroke Deaths in Kerala: CM Moots Closure of Educational Institutions

Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan mooted that educational institutions should be closed until May 6 based on the warning that there is a possibility of a heatwave in most of the districts in the state.

Kozhikode: Two more died of sunstroke in Kerala and the deceased have been identified as Vijesh (43) from Panniangara, Kozhikode and Muhammad Haneefa (63), a resident of Malappuram Padinhattummuri. Vijesh died while undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College. According to reports, on April 27, he collapsed at work after suffering from sunstroke.

Haneefa, a construction worker, collapsed in the afternoon while working at Tamarakuzhi in Malappuram. He was then shifted to Malappuram Cooperative Hospital and Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. He died this morning. The preliminary conclusion is that dehydration was the cause of death. The hospital authorities said that more clarity will come after the post-mortem.

A high-level meeting convened by the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, suggested that educational institutions, including professional colleges, should be closed until May 6 based on the warning that there is a possibility of a heatwave in most of the districts of the state. The District Collectors explained the district situation during the Disaster Management Authority meeting presided over by the Chief Minister to assess the possibility of a heatwave.

The Central Meteorological Department has warned that heatwave conditions will prevail in Alappuzha, Palakkad, Kozhikode and Thrissur districts on May 2 and 3. The heatwave warning is based on the fact that the temperature may rise to 40 degrees Celsius in Palakkad district and 39 degrees Celsius in Kozhikode, Thrissur and Alappuzha districts. Given this, the Central Meteorological Department has also announced a yellow alert in these districts.

The Central Meteorological Department has informed that there is a need for extreme caution during the heatwave. People have been warned to be cautious as there is a high risk of sunstroke in such conditions and it may lead to death. Against this backdrop, the Disaster Management Authority has issued warnings.