BANGKOK, May 10, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Heatstroke has killed 61 people in Thailand
so far this year, more than in all of 2023, the health ministry said on
Friday after weeks of scorching weather across the region.

A wave of exceptionally hot weather blasted Thailand in recent weeks,
prompting authorities to issue warnings about scorching hot weather on a
near-daily basis.

The health ministry said Friday that 61 people have died from heatstroke
since the beginning of 2024, compared with 37 in the whole of 2023.

Thailand's northeast -- the agricultural heartland -- saw the highest number
of deaths, the ministry said.

Scientists have long warned human-induced climate change will produce more
frequent, longer and more intense heatwaves.

While the El Nino phenomenon is helping drive this year's exceptionally warm
weather, Asia is also warming faster than the global average, according to
the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization.

Apichart Vachiraphan, deputy of Thailand's Department of Disease Control,
warned people with underlying medical conditions to limit their time
outdoors.

The kingdom this year experienced a delay in its monsoon season, with
sweltering hot weather lasting longer than normal.

Storms have hit parts of the kingdom this week, lowering temperatures but
bringing warnings from the authorities of potential flash flooding.

In April, the kingdom recorded a temperature of 44.2 degrees Celsius (111.6
degrees Fahrenheit) recorded in the northern province of Lampang -- just shy
of the all-time national record of 44.6C hit last year.