18 students fall ill with suspected heatstroke in Bandarban

Girl students taking part in a rally at a school in Bandarban under the schorching sun recently.

Bandarban, Apr 26— At least Eighteen students of Soroi High School in Lama upazila of Bandarban fell ill with suspected heatstroke on Sunday amid a severe heatwave.

The incident occurred around noon during classroom hours, school authorities said. Three days earlier, five more students had reportedly fallen sick in a similar manner.

School Head Teacher Nitipurno Barua confirmed the incident.

The affected students include those from classes Six to Ten, among them Sadiya Akter, Jannatul Mawa, Mirtihan Ibne Zia, Junayedul Islam, Abu Sufian, Shamima Akter, Md Yasin Arafat, Rubaiya Absar, Jannat Ara Begum, Khurshida Akter, Alifa Akter, Shahida Begum, Tasmin Akter, Songleng Mro, Fatema Akter and Shifa Akter.

According to the school, frequent power outages due to excessive load shedding left classrooms extremely hot and uncomfortable amid the ongoing heatwave. As a result, students began to feel unwell and fainted one after another during classes.

The affected students were given primary treatment and later taken home by their guardians.

Students Fatema Akter and Shifa Akter said the classroom had no electricity and the extreme heat caused excessive sweating and discomfort before they lost consciousness.

The Head Teacher said the school has 366 students and only three teachers, adding that frequent power disruptions and the ongoing heatwave have made teaching conditions unbearable, repeatedly affecting students’ health and disrupting classes.

He also urged immediate improvement in electricity supply and urgent measures to address the extreme weather conditions. - UNB