Dozens Die of Heatwave in Canada

• Canada Records All-Time High Temperature Of 49.5 Degrees

• Record heat forces British Columbia to shut schools, universities

Dozens of people have died in Canada amid an unprecedented heatwave that has smashed temperature records says an article on BBC.

Trapped by ‘heat dome’

Canada broke its temperature record for a third straight day on Tuesday – 49.6C (121.3F) in Lytton, British Columbia. Police in the Vancouver area has responded to more than 130 sudden deaths since Friday. Most were elderly or had underlying health conditions, with the heat often a contributing factor.

Heat-related fatalities to rise

Experts say climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves. However, linking any single event to global warming is complicated.

The heat over western parts of Canada and the US has been caused by a dome of static high-pressure hot air stretching from California to the Arctic territories. The number of heat-related fatalities is likely to rise as some areas say they have responded to sudden death incidents but have yet to collate the numbers.