According to met office sources, the highest temperature was recorded 40.2 degrees Celsius in Ishwardi yesterday. In Dhaka, the highest temperature was 37.4 degrees Celsius.

The temperature is likely to rise in some parts of Rajshahi and Jessore regions today.

Four people died from heat wave in Chuadanga. They are Biprodhar Biswas of Rakhtala, Joynal Ali of Dauki and Mika Kazi of Chhatrapar village under Alamdanga upazila and Sahar Banu of Darshana Mohammadpur of Damurhuda upazila.

In Comilla, Subhash Chandra, 55, of South Mohammadpur of Daudkandi upazila and Shankari Das, 45, of Gopalbhaor Bazar of Faridganj upazila also died of heat stroke.

Samarendra Karmakar, a met office director, said there is no respite from this intolerable heat in next two days but there is a possibility of rain on June 1.

Meanwhile, the hospitals are struggling to cope with a sudden rush of diarrhoeal patients with hundreds of new sufferers arriving everyday.

A doctor of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) said the hospital is cramped with patients not only of diarrhoea but also of cholera and pneumonia.

He said on an average 340-500 patients with different diarrhoeal diseases have been admitted to the hospital this week so far.

Medical experts have suggested people to drink pure water since heavy sweating causes losses of salt and water from the body. If the loss is not met, people can easily be affected by diarrhoea, fatigue and muscle cramp, they said.

The intense heat accompanied with erratic power and water supplies has made life in the city miserable. Day labourers, rickshaw pullers, floating people and children are the worst sufferers of this unbearable heat.