Jhansi: Passengers aboard Kerala Express collapse to extreme heat, 4 dead

Four passengers aboard the Kerala Express died and another hospitalised in critical condition at Jhansi due to extreme heat.

The deceased have been identified as Bundur Palanisame (80), Bal Krishna Ramaswami (69), Chinnare (71), and Dhiva Nai (71), whereas Subbaraiyya (71) was rushed to a civil hospital.

All of them were part of a 68-member group from Tamil Nadu returning to Coimbatore from a visit to Varanasi and Agra. "Shortly after we left Agra, the heat became unbearable," a member of the group said.

The passengers, seated in the train's non-AC S8 and S9 coaches, had reportedly complained of 'breathing problems' and 'uneasiness' on Monday evening but by the time the train reached Jhansi, they had collapsed. It was reported that the heat wave victims were lying unconscious on the coach. The deaths were ascertained only after a doctor was summoned.

The bodies were taken for post-mortem from the Jhansi Railway Station to confirm the exact reason of their deaths, after which they will be sent to Coimbatore, Divisional Railway Manager Neeraj Ambisht said. Some of the family members of the deceased also stayed back in Jhansi to oversee matters.

Uttar Pradesh is one of the states that took the brunt of an intense heatwave sweeping across Northern India. Temperatures have been recorded up to 47 degrees Celsius in Agra and other parts of the state.