During a severe heatwave in West Bengal, Lopamudra Sinha, a Doordarshan news anchor, unexpectedly fainted while reporting live. Sinha, a staff member at the West Bengal Doordarshan office, posted an update on her Facebook account to provide information about her health status.
In a translated English video from Bengali, she described, “During my live news broadcast, my blood pressure unexpectedly dropped, causing me to faint. I had been experiencing discomfort for a while, but I believed drinking water would help alleviate it.”
Usually, I don’t carry water during my news reading sessions, whether they last 10 minutes or 30 minutes. I typically signal to the floor manager and ask for a bottle of water. On that specific day, while the general news was being aired without any soundbites, I was unable to get any water. Eventually, when a soundbite played, I had the chance to drink some water.
At first, she believed she could accomplish the final four news articles. Surprisingly, she finished two of them. The third story, concerning the heatwave, caught her attention as she read it, and her health began to deteriorate. She continued by saying, “I felt progressively unwell.”
I made a concerted effort to remain composed and finish the segment, however, I failed. As I proceeded with the story, my vision began to blur. The teleprompter dimmed, and I unintentionally lost awareness.
In West Burdwan district, Panagarh registered the highest temperature in the state at 42.5°C. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) anticipates that additional regions in South Bengal will face heatwaves in the upcoming days.
Numerous locations, including Dum Dum, Midnapore, Bankura, Salt Lake, Canning, Kalikunda, Burdwan, Asansol, Purulia, Jhargram, and Balurghat, have experienced temperatures surpassing 40°C during the day.
As a result of the ongoing heatwave, the West Bengal government had to declare an early summer break for government-operated schools, beginning on April 22nd.
