15 people dead as heat wave hits Canada

A total of 15 people died from complications related to the hot and humid weather which has been rampaging in Eastern and Central Canada since last weekend, according to CTV on Wednesday.

All the dead were reported in Montreal, Canada where the temperature hit 40 C degree Wednesday when factoring in the humidity, and the heat is expected to last until Friday, Xinhua reported.

The Montreal authorities have called on local people to take precautions to avoid heat-related illness.

Firefighters are going door-to-door to check on at-risk residents in Montreal and health officials have set up drop-in cooling centers in the city to offer respite from sizzling temperatures.

Southern Ontario has been hard hit as well. The humidex in Ottawa on Canada Day was 47 C, the highest recorded for the capital city.

The Montreal city government unveiled an "extreme heat" plan Tuesday that includes distributing water to groups working with the homeless. Mayor Valerie Plante urged people to check on vulnerable neighbors, including seniors.

Toronto's Medical Officer of Health extended the city's heat warning until further notice over the weekend. The city has extended its pool hours and opened its seven cooling centers, which provide air-conditioned spaces and cold drinks. Toronto is also providing transit tokens for people experiencing homelessness to get to cool places.

Temperatures in Toronto, Canada's largest city, have topped 30 degrees every day since last Friday.

The heat wave has hit the Atlantic provinces too. A heat warning is in effect for Halifax as Nova Scotia has been

experiencing temperatures of around 30 C degrees.

--IANS

ahm/