THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KOCHI: Three suspected sunstroke deaths and seven sunstroke cases were reported in the state on Sunday as mercury level continued to rise. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has sounded a sunstroke alert till Tuesday with the Indian Meteorology Department forecasting two to three-degree rise in temperatures in most part of the state in the coming days. Eleven out of 14 districts have been put on high alert.
The deceased are Karunakaran, 42, from Thiruvananthapuram, Narayanan, 67, from Kannur and Shajahan, 60, from Pathanamthitta. After preliminary examination, the doctors suspected them to be sunstroke cases.
According to health authorities, the exact cause of death would be declared only after the post-mortem examination.
Health minister K.K. Shyalaja asked the people to follow the heatstroke advisory issued by the department. They should keep themselves hydrated always and carry a bottle of clean water.
According to sources, around 115 sunstroke cases were reported in the state in the past one month.
The maximum temperature may be above normal by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kannur and Kozhikode districts on March 25 and 26, according to IMD. The temperature was above normal in most districts on Sunday with several persons falling victims to sunstroke.
