DEATH TOLL IN CANADA’S HEAT WAVE REACHES 54

MONTREAL— The death toll in a weeklong eastern Canadian heat wave has reached 54, officials said on Friday.

Most of the victims linked to the “overwhelming heat” were in the Montreal area, which recorded 28 fatalities, metropolitan health authorities told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in an email.

The other victims were reported in the southwest of the French-Canadian province, the Quebec health ministry said.

The mercury has regularly topped 30 degrees Celsius since June 29, accompanied by stifling humidity levels, but temperatures should drop back to seasonal averages from Saturday.

Feels like 45 degrees Celsius

On Thursday, Environment Canada had forecast a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius but said the heat index wouldmake it feel like 45 degrees Celsius.

“Looking at the weather forecast, we are waiting for a return to normal in the coming hours,” said health ministry spokesperson Noemie heuverzwijn.

Most of the victims in Montreal were men in their 50s or older, and living in vulnerable conditions without air conditioning, said regional public health director Mylene Drouin.

Neighboring Ontario has also been coping with high temperatures but no deaths have been reported there.

In 2010, around 100 people in the Montreal area died when extreme heat stifled the area.— Van-