Jajpur: Amid the last phase of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections scheduled for June 1 on Saturday and Odisha grappling with intense heat wave conditions, as many as 10 polling workers were taken ill due to excessive humidity in the State's Jajpur district where voting will take place tomorrow.

All of them were rushed to the district headquarters hospital where they are currently undergoing treatment. Sources said four ambulances have been deployed for the patients in case any emergency arises.

Meanwhile, around 18 persons have died of suspected sunstroke  in Odisha's Sundargarh and Jharsuguda districts (12 and 8, respectively).

Official sources said a high-level team of doctors and the district administrations are monitoring the situation and said strict action will be taken if workers are found on duty in peak hours in districts put on heat wave alerts. Cases revealed that mostly truck drivers and daily labourers are susceptible to such heat-realted deaths.