At least five people have died from hypothermia in Seattle, US state of Washington, since January 11, when temperatures plummeted below freezing, according to King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Two died outside on the streets, one in a vehicle, and two others died in residences, officials said on Thursday.
The number of homeless people dying from environmental exposure — including hypothermia and hyperthermia — has gone up in recent years, from zero in 2012 to nine in 2021, according to Public Health in Seattle and King County as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.
Weather shelters across King County quickly filled up last Friday, leading the King County Regional Homelessness Authority to work with the city of Seattle and The Salvation Army to add 100 more shelter beds at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, totaling 300 spaces for Saturday night in the city’s largest severe weather shelter, said a report by The Seattle Times.