Heatwave in US southern parts claims 13 lives

HOUSTON: At least 13 people have died in Texas heatwave in southern United States, international media reported citing officials.

Eleven of the heat-related deaths occurred in Webb County, where temperatures soared to 48 degree Celsius.

Huge swaths of the US continue to face extreme hot weather as temperatures going to extreme in the south and south-west while smoke pollution is blighting the Midwest.

More than 120 million people in the US are under air quality alerts, according to an analysis. The latest figure accounts for the addition of the New York City and Philadelphia areas.

Pennsylvania’s department of environmental protection has declared a “code red” air quality alert for the entire state due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.

For a second day in a row, Chicago and Detroit have some of the worst air quality in the world. The smoke from Canadian wildfires is exacerbating air quality issues for poor and minority communities, who are more likely to live near polluting plants and have higher rates of asthma, according to reports.

This year’s wildfire season is the worst on record in Canada, with some 76,000 sq km (29,000 sq miles) burning across eastern and western Canada. With much of Canada still experiencing unusually warm and dry conditions, “there’s still no end in sight”, Copernicus senior scientist Mark Parrington said.