Kolkata:
A West Bengal government official on poll duty died here today due to heat wave, taking the toll to three in the state with the mercury soaring to 41.2 degree Celsius, even as the Met department predicted thunder squalls in the next two days.
Election Commission's Micro Observer for Domkol in the Murshidabad Lok Sabha seat, Shailendra Kumar Sinha, died today after falling ill due to heat yesterday, EC sources said.
On April 23, two persons had died at Chitpore in Kolkata of sunstroke.
Temperatures in the southern districts were over 40 degrees Celsius, with Kolkata recording 41.2 degrees Celsius, the highest in a decade for April, the Met department said.
"Thunder squalls with wind speeds reaching between 50 to 60 km per hour accompanied with lighting and hail may occur at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal," it said.
It, however, said that the heat wave condition might prevail at isolated pockets of Gangetic West Bengal for the next two days.
Meanwhile, power demand peaked at 1,884 MW in the metropolis, the highest this year, sources in power utility CESC said.