Delhi reports season’s first heatstroke case as temperatures soar above normal

Delhi recorded its warmest night of May in nearly 14 years as the minimum temperature settled at 31.9 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

The Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi on Thursday reported the national capital’s first heatstroke case of the season as temperatures continued to soar under prevailing heatwave conditions.

Rickshaw pullers rest amid intense summer heat in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI)

According to hospital officials, a 24-year-old student was brought to the hospital around 1.45am after he fell seriously ill while travelling on a train.

Delhi recorded its warmest night of May in nearly 14 years as the minimum temperature settled at 31.9 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

“He was brought to the hospital with a body temperature in excess of 105°F. He presented with vomiting, fecal incontinence, altered sensorium and a very high body temperature,” an official aware of the matter said.

The patient was immediately shifted to the hospital’s specialised heatwave clinic, where emergency cooling treatment was initiated, the official said.

“Immersion cooling was instituted immediately. The patient remains in critical condition and is being medically managed. Further, there are no known pre-existing health conditions and most other differential diagnoses have been ruled out,” the official added.

RML Hospital, which runs Delhi’s dedicated heatwave clinic, has already activated its summer emergency response systems in anticipation of a rise in heat-related illnesses. The specialised unit is equipped with cooling beds, ice immersion facilities and trained emergency staff to manage severe heatstroke cases.

Doctors at the hospital said timely intervention during the “golden hour” remains critical in managing heatstroke, as prolonged exposure to extreme heat can lead to organ failure, neurological complications and death.