More than 100 people have reportedly died  due to heat waves in West Bengal in the last 48 hour. The death toll is on the rise due to inexorable extreme heat waves and soaring temperature.

Nearly 43 died due to sun stroke in Asansol and Durgapur areas of Burdwan district where temperature touched 47 degree Celsius. Several others have been hospitalized across the state, officials said.

Other districts including West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura also witnessed several deaths due to the extreme weather conditions in the last few days, where the temperature has touched 48 degree Celsius.  

West Midnapur reportedly recorded a temperature of 44 degrees Celsius while Kolkata touched 40.1 degree Celsius.

Chief Minister Mamata Banarjee expressed concern over the rising death toll and called for an emergency meeting on Thursday to deal with the situation.

"The chief minister has expressed deep concern over the rising number of deaths due to the heat and has asked the health department to issue necessary orders to the district administrations to take necessary steps," IANS quoted the Minister of State for Health, Chandrima Bhattacharya, as saying.

 "If you have no work in the state secretariat, please go to the districts to reach out to the people," the CM had told her ministers in a cabinet meeting Tuesday.

The CM has advised people to drink ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) in regular interval and try to stay away from sun.

Moreover, the state has also extended summer vacations for children in government and government-sponsored schools to June 17.

In the past one week, 18 deaths were reported in West Midnapore, 11 in Kolkata, 12 in North and South 24 Parganas, 32 in the districts of Burdwan, Hooghly and Purulia; six in Asanson and many more in other parts of the state.

It is also reported that acute drinking water scarcity has also cropped in areas like Belpahari, Jhargram, Keshiary and Kharagpur, and shopkeepers have shut down the markets during day time.