Thailand is as hot as “blazing fire”, 30 people died of heat stroke in 4 months

Thailand on April 25 issued a new warning about scorching hot weather as the government said heatstroke has killed at least 30 people this year.

The Bangkok city government issued an extreme heat warning when the heat index was expected to rise above 52 degrees Celsius.

Heat index is a concept that represents the level of heat that the human body can actually feel. It is an index that combines relative humidity, air temperature and wind speed.

On April 24, the temperature in Bangkok measured by the weather agency was 40.1 degrees Celsius and on April 25, this number is expected to be at the same level.

Thailand’s Department of Environment warns that the heat index is at “extremely dangerous” levels in Bangkok.

The government of Udon Thani province, a rural northeastern region of the kingdom, also warned of scorching temperatures on April 25.

Thailand’s Ministry of Health said on April 24 that 30 people in the country died from heat stroke between January 1 and April 17, compared to 37 people in the whole of 2023.

Direk Khampaen, deputy director general of Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, told AFP that officials were urging the elderly and those with underlying health conditions including obesity to stay indoors and drink water regularly.

April is usually the hottest time of the year in Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia, but this year’s weather conditions have been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

Last year, the United Nations weather and climate agency warned that Asia was warming at a particularly fast rate.

Over the past week, a wave of extreme heat has swept across parts of South and Southeast Asia, disrupting people’s lives and posing threats.