An elderly woman has died due to sunstroke in Kerala's Palakkad district as the southern state experiences severe heat conditions affecting normal life, officials said on Sunday.

Amid the severe heat in Kerala, the meteorological department issued a maximum temperature warning for 12 districts over the next five days.

In view of rising temperatures impacting daily life in the state, the Women and Child Development Department decided to suspend preschool activities in anganwadis for a week.

A Palakkad district health official stated that the 90-year-old woman was found dead in a canal in Elappully village on Sunday.

The woman, a dementia patient, had suffered a sunstroke after venturing out of her home.

Her post-mortem revealed burn injuries on her body, confirming sunstroke, the health official said.

Last week, a man was found dead with burn injuries in the district, the official added, advising people not to step out of their homes between 11 am and 3 pm.

According to the IMD and the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, there's a possibility of a heatwave in certain areas in Kollam, Palakkad, and Thrissur districts.

"Maximum temperatures are very likely to be around 41°C in the Palakkad district, around 40°C in Kollam & Thrissur districts, around 38°C in Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Kozhikode & Kannur districts, and around 37°C in Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Malappuram & Kasaragod districts, and around 36°C in Thiruvananthapuram district (3 to 5°C above normal) during April 28th to May 2nd, 2024," the weather agencies said.

These districts are expected to experience hot and humid weather conditions, excluding hilly areas, from April 28th to May 2nd, due to elevated temperatures and humidity levels, they added.

Additionally, there is a likelihood of heatwave conditions occurring in one or two locations within Kollam, Palakkad, and Thrissur districts specifically on April 28th and 29th, the agencies added.

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