More than 60 people have died from heat stroke in Thailand this year. The number of deaths from heat stroke last year nearly doubled due to the heat wave of around 50 degrees Celsius.
According to the Bangkok Post and AFP news agency on the 11th, Thailand's Ministry of Health announced the previous day that 61 heat stroke deaths have been recorded since the beginning of this year. It is nearly twice the total number of heat stroke deaths (37) last year.
When looking at the number of heat stroke deaths by region this year, the number of deaths was the highest at 33 in the northeastern part of the country, an agricultural center.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DDC) is entering the rainy season, but the risk of heat stroke still remains in several regions, and urged people to refrain from outdoor activities during the day.
Thailand is usually the hottest time of the year from April to May, but the damage from the heat wave has become severe due to the recent El Niño phenomenon.
In the case of Lampang, northern Thailand, the temperature soared to 44.2 degrees Celsius on the 22nd of last month, near an all-time high.
Heat warnings have been issued frequently in Bangkok, the capital, due to the heat wave, which has a temperature of more than 50 degrees Celsius. Southeast Asian countries other than Thailand are also suffering from heat waves.
In a report released last month, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) explained that the rate of warming in Asia last year was faster than the global average, and sea level temperature reached an all-time high.
"Asia is the place where climate-related disasters have caused the most damage," the WMO said, adding that rapid warming has led to natural disasters such as floods and droughts.
