Wednesday, May 18 2005 08:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Several towns yesterday (May 17, 2005) baked at over 45 degrees Celsius as ten more people succumbed to the blazing sun pushing the countrywide death toll from the torrid heat wave this summer to 16.

Titilagarh and Sundargarh towns in Orissa, where all the ten fresh deaths were reported, turned into burning cauldrons with mercury shooting to 46.5 and 46.1 degrees Celsius respectively.

Jharsuguda and Angul, the aluminium town, recorded highs of 45.5 and 44.3 degrees celsius as normal life in Orissa's Western region was paralysed with people venturing out only after sundown.

Mercury soared to 46.6 degrees Celsius in Nagpur, four degrees above normal, as the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra reeled under a searing heat wave.

Akola was the second hottest place in the region with temperature hovering at 46 degrees Celsius.

Six people had died of sunstroke in West Bengal since the onset of gruelling summer.

Mercury soared to 44 degrees Celsius at many places in the desert State of Rajasthan affecting normal life.

Churu, Bikaner, Kota and Sriganganagar were hottest places in the State with mercury touching 44 degrees Celsius, up by three degrees.

Dust storms accompanied by squalls in some places brought some relief.

The Met office said heat wave conditions would intensify in the State in the next couple of days.