China Reports First Heat-Stroke Fatalities Amid Record Temperatures

At least two people have died from heat-stroke in a Chinese city as temperatures have remained around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the eighth consecutive day along the eastern seaboard. Many more people have fallen ill due to the extreme heat.

Over the next three days, most areas south of the Yangtze River, which flows into the sea near Shanghai, are expected to experience temperatures ranging from 37°C to 39°C, with some parts of Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces forecasted to exceed 40°C, according to meteorologists on Thursday.

Following the hottest July on record in modern history, China is now facing intense heat, particularly in its eastern and southern regions. On August 3, Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang, recorded a historic high of 41.9°C.

Emergency services in Shenzhen, a city of 18 million people in Guangdong province, reported 88 emergency calls due to heat-related illnesses between August 1 and August 6. Tragically, two men, one in his 50s and the other in his 60s, succumbed to heat-stroke, as confirmed in a statement released late Wednesday.

China does not typically provide a national tally of heat-related deaths, although local media occasionally report fatalities based on information from local authorities. In 2022, China experienced its most severe heatwaves since 1961, enduring a 79-day hot spell from June 13 to August 30. Despite this, no official death toll has been released.

The Ministry of Emergency Management reported that 554 people either died or went missing due to natural disasters in 2022. However, heat-related deaths are often challenging to categorize, as fatalities from heat-stroke may be recorded differently if the cause of death is attributed to a heart attack or organ failure.

A 2023 report published in the medical journal The Lancet estimated that heatwave-related mortality in China reached 50,900 deaths in 2022, doubling the number from 2021.