Odisha towns sizzle as mercury rises to 43 degrees

Two towns in Odisha recorded maximum temperatures of 43 degrees Celsius Friday, as the heat condition further intensified in the state, an official said.

Titilagarh and Bhabanipatna towns in Bolangir and Kalahandi districts recorded 43 degrees Celsius - the state's highest temperature of the day - an official of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre told IANS.

With the temperatures soaring, roads were deserted as people preferred to stay indoors.

There were reports of power cuts and water scarcity from the interiors of the state. Even in Bhubaneswar, there were outages but not so frequent.

The attendances in government offices were average while schools across the state are conducting morning classes to spare the children from the scorching heat.

The other towns with high temperatures in the state were capital Bhubaneswar and industrial town of Angul (42.7 degrees each), Dhenkanal and Bolangir (42.2 degrees each).