Medininagar (Jharkhand), Jun 3 (PTI) As many as 32 wild monkeys were suspected to have drowned in an irrigation well in Jharkhand's Palamu district during their bid to quench their thirst, a forest official said on Monday.

It took place in Sorath village in Panki block and the corpses were found on Sunday, but officials were yet to ascertain the exact date of the incident.

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"A total of 32 wild monkeys were found dead in an irrigation well in Sorath... the corpses were fished out," Medininagar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kumar Ashish told PTI.

The entire area is reeling under heatwave conditions, with temperatures hovering around 44-45 degrees Celsius.

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"Sources of water in the area have almost dried up... wild animals are coming to villages to quench their thirst... these monkeys apparently drowned during their bid to quench their thirst," Ashish said.

The well in which the monkeys died had ample water, he said, adding autopsy was conducted but the reports were yet to be received.

A few days ago, three jackals wandering in search of water in Chainpur forest died in a well, he said.

Last week, four persons died of sunstroke in Jharkhand while 1,326 others were admitted to the hospital amid sweltering heat in most parts of the eastern state.

All district hospitals and other medical facilities have been asked to set aside air-conditioned rooms and empty beds for heatstroke patients, officials said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)