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

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

The ministry said on May 10 that 61 people have died from heatstroke since the beginning of 2024, compared with 37 in the whole of 2023.

Thailand’s north-east – the agricultural heartland – saw the highest number of deaths, the ministry added.

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

While the El Nino phenomenon is helping drive 2024’s exceptionally warm weather, Asia is also warming faster than the global average, according to the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organisation.

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

The country in 2024 experienced a delay in its monsoon season, with sweltering hot weather lasting longer than normal.

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

In April, the country recorded a scorching temperature of 44.2 deg C in the northern province of Lampang – just shy of the all-time national record of 44.6 deg C hit in 2023. AFP