BANGKOK, Thailand: Thailand issued urgent warnings on Thursday regarding scorching hot weather, with the government reporting that heatstroke has already claimed the lives of at least 30 people this year. The city authorities in Bangkok issued an extreme heat alert as the heat index was forecasted to exceed 52 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit).
Temperatures in Bangkok soared to 40.1 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, with similar levels anticipated for Thursday in the sprawling urban landscape of the Thai capital. A wave of exceptionally hot weather has swept across parts of South and Southeast Asia this week, prompting school closures in the Philippines and prayers for rain in Bangladesh.
Authorities in Udon Thani province also cautioned about blazing temperatures on Thursday. Thailand’s health ministry disclosed that 30 individuals had succumbed to heatstroke between January 1 and April 17, a figure slightly lower than the 37 fatalities recorded in all of 2023.
Direk Khampaen, deputy director-general of Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, advised elderly individuals and those with underlying health conditions, including obesity, to remain indoors and stay hydrated.
April typically marks the hottest period of the year in Thailand and Southeast Asia, exacerbated this year by the El Nino weather pattern. Last year witnessed record heat stress globally, with the UN weather agency highlighting Asia’s accelerated warming pace.
In Lampang province, the mercury soared to 44.2 degrees Celsius on Monday, just below the national record of 44.6 degrees Celsius recorded last year. Across the border in Myanmar, temperatures reached a scorching 45.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, with similarly extreme conditions expected on Thursday.
The turmoil stemming from Myanmar’s 2021 military coup has led to widespread power outages, impeding residents’ ability to stay cool amidst the sweltering heat.
