Bhubaneswar, April 19 -- With Odisha reeling under intense heatwave conditions over the last few days, the state has reported the season's first sunstroke death, officials said on Friday.

Sixty-two-year-old Laxmikanta Sahu of Maheshpur in Balasore district died due to sunstroke on April 15. This was the first sunstroke death this summer, an official at the Special Relief Commissioner's office said.

Public Health Director Niranjan Mishra said that 71 people have admitted to different hospitals in the state after falling ill due to heatwave. Of them, 35 were from Sundargarh, and seven each from Mayurbhanj and Angul.

Boudh town in western Odisha was the hottest place in the state at 44.3 degrees Celsius, followed by 44.2 degrees Celsius i...