4 train passengers die of heatstroke in Jhansi

JHANSI: With the temperature touching nearly 49 degrees in north India, four passengers travelling from Agra to Coimbatore on Kerala Express died of heatstroke on Monday. They were senior citizens and part of a 68-member group that had come from Coimbatore to visit Varanasi and Agra. One of the four, who was critical, died during treatment in hospital.
Railway officials said the deceased were members of a tourist group of senior citizens and were travelling in sleeper coaches, which are not air-conditioned.

When the train was approaching Jhansi, they suffered bouts of vomiting due to the extreme heat. Bundur Palanisame (80), Bal Krishna Ramaswami (67) and Dhanlaxmi (74) were declared dead on arrival by doctors at Jhansi railway station while Subbaraiya (87) died during treatment.

Two bodies were claimed by relatives while the other two will be sent to Coimbatore in coffins through a special luggage van on Tuesday.

‘Heatstroke can lead to cardiac failure’

A team of doctors and paramedics was present at Jhansi station after an alert was sounded by the TTE.

As the train reached the station, doctors immediately attended to the sick passengers. DRM Jhansi Neeraj Ambashth, along with other senior officials, also supervised the operations,” Manoj Kumar Singh, PRO, NCR Jhansi, said Talking to TOI, Lucknowbased physician Sunil Verma said, “Heatstrokes can turn fatal after acute dehydration, triggering a series of biochemical and metabolic changes in the body, which causes cardiac failure.”

A few days ago, two passengers had died due to heat and suffocation in two separate incidents.

On June 1, Sita Ahirwar, who was travelling in the general coach of the UP Sampark Kranti Express from Banda, fell ill. She was rushed to Jhansi Medical College where she was declared dead.

On June 5, Rajesh Gupta of Ghazipur, who was travelling in the general compartment of the Kushinagar Express, died due to heatstroke and exhaustion when the train reached Jhansi.