At least 233 people have died amid sweltering heat in Canada’s British Columbia province since a record-breaking heatwave began to hit the country’s western region on June 25.
To have a heatwave last this long and be this hot in Canada is completely unprecedented in history, Xinhua news agency quoted local media reports as saying on Wednesday.
The heatwave led to stores in British Columbia run out of air conditioners and fans. Hotels in Vancouver were fully booked on Monday, drawing locals desperate for escape.
Police in Metro Vancouver said on Tuesday they had responded to more than 100 sudden deaths since the heatwave took hold.
Cities in British Columbia in western Canada broke at least 59 previous temperature records, including Lytton, where nationwide records have been set and broken in rapid succession.
British Columbia Premier John Horgan said the hottest week the province had ever experienced had led to “disastrous consequences for families and for communities”.
The number of heat-related fatalities is likely to rise as some areas say they have responded to sudden death incidents but have yet to collate the numbers.
“Since the onset of the heatwave late last week, the BC Coroners Service has experienced a significant increase in deaths reported where it is suspected that extreme heat has been contributory,” Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said in a statement.
The coroner’s service normally receives about 130 death reports over a four-day period. From Friday through Monday, at least 233 deaths were reported, the chief coroner said, adding “this number will increase as data continues to be updated.”
Coroners are now gathering information to determine the cause and manner of deaths and whether heat played a role, the statement said.
The heatwave is now moving eastward in the country.
“Environmental heat exposure can lead to severe or fatal results, particularly in older people, infants and young children and those with chronic illnesses,” the statement added.
Authorities earlier in the day reported a spike in sudden deaths for Vancouver and nearby Burnaby and Surrey.
Officers have responded to more than 65 sudden deaths since the heatwave began on Friday, Vancouver police said. “Today alone, officers had responded to 20 sudden deaths as of 1:45 p.m., with more than a dozen others waiting for police to be dispatched,” the department said in a statement,
Heat-related deaths have depleted front-line resources and severely delayed response times, officials said.
“We’ve never experienced anything like this heat in Vancouver,” media relations officer Sgt. Steve Addison said during a press conference. Readings in downtown Vancouver were 98.6 degrees on Saturday, 99.5 on Sunday, and 101.5 on Monday.
Heat waves are becoming both more common and more intense due to the warming climate.
