Heat wave kills 33 in Canada

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A heatwave in Quebec has killed 33 people over the past week, as high summer temperatures have scorched eastern Canada, officials said Thursday.

Eighteen of the dead were reported in the provincial capital Montreal, according to regional public health director Mylene Drouin.

She added that the majority of the victims in the city were men aged between 53 and 85 living in vulnerable conditions and without access to air conditioning.

The rest of the deaths occurred in other parts of the French-speaking province.

Pedestrians along Toronto (also in east Canada)'s Harbourfront wear T-shirts, vests and shorts under the blazing sun, July 2, 2018. /VCG Photo

Environment Canada forecast a maximum of 35 degrees Celsius on Thursday with a heat index – what the temperature feels like to the human body – of up to 45 Celsius.

The heat wave was expected to end by Thursday evening with temperatures however, between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius over the next few days.

"My thoughts are with the loved ones of those who died in Quebec during this heat wave," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted.

People use misters to cool down in Montreal, Canada, on July 2, 2018, during a heatwave in the city. /VCG Photo

"The record is expected to continue in central & eastern Canada, so make sure you know how to protect yourself & your family."

No deaths had been reported for the same period in the neighboring province of Ontario, which has also sizzled under extremely high temperatures.

In 2010, a heat wave killed around 100 people in the Montreal area.

(Cover: A boy and girl dunk their heads in a water fountain during a heatwave in Montreal, Canada, on July 2, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP