Mohammad Sheikh Zakaria’s son cries after his father collapsed. Picture by Maheswar

A 65-year-old trader died after collapsing in a central Calcutta lane around 11.30am on Friday. Doctors suspect he suffered a heat stroke.

Mohammad Sheikh Zakaria, who owns a shop in Radhabazar, collapsed in Dacres Lane. He was taken to Medical College and Hospital (MCH), where doctors pronounced him dead.

Zakaria, a resident of Panchla in Howrah, had gone to Dacres Lane to eat. “He had planned to open his shop after lunch and had gone to Dacres Lane straight from Howrah station,” said Zakaria’s friend Mohammad Mustakim, who also owns a shop in Radhabazar.

According to witnesses, Zakaria collapsed while walking towards an eatery. “He immediately lost consciousness. We sprinkled water on his face but it did not have any effect,” said Shyamaprasad Manna, an employee of the eatery.

The bystanders searched Zakaria’s pocket and found his son’s cellphone number. He rushed to the spot and took his father to MCH.

“The symptoms suggest that he died of sun stroke,” said a doctor at the emergency ward.

A post-mortem has to be conducted to ascertain the cause of death. “The hospital did not keep any record of Zakaria, which is needed to conduct a post-mortem. The body was taken away by the family,” said A.K. Mukherjee, the officer-in-charge of Hare Street police station.

On Tuesday, constable Akhileswar Ray had collapsed and died while on duty at Maniktala. A heat stroke is suspected to be the cause. Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi on Friday sent a condolence message to Ray’s family.

According to doctors, the number of patients seeking treatment with symptoms of heat stroke has gone up in the city. The hot spell is also causing fevers and infections.

“High temperature, drowsiness, fatigue and weakness are symptoms of heat stroke, which can be fatal,” said Subrata Maitra, a critical care expert. “Avoid direct exposure to sun, drink plenty of water and use an umbrella” were his three tips to avoid a heat stroke.

Several patients have been admitted to Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals with symptoms of heat stroke. “Five of them are suffering from dehydration while another patient is in the intensive care unit with first-stage kidney failure,” said Milan Chetri, a consultant in the internal medicine department of the hospital.

Children are coming down with diarrhoea and gastro-enteritis. “Excessive sweating is causing dehydration and rashes,” said Apurba Ghosh, the director of Institute of Child Health.