10 sudden deaths in Richmond in past week: RCMP

There were 10 sudden deaths in Richmond from June 26 and July 1 during an extreme heat wave, a number higher than normal, according to the Richmond RCMP.

The BC Coroners Service, however, is still determining the causes and manner of the Richmond sudden deaths, RCMP clarified.

But Lisa LaPointe, the provincial chief coroner, said the high number of sudden deaths in B.C. during the past week seems to be related by the heat.

Early reports from LaPointe indicate 486 people died during the heat wave across the province between June 25 and June 30.

This was a 195-per-cent increase over what would normally occur, LaPointe said in a release.

“While it is too early to say with certainty how many of these deaths are heat related, it is believed likely that the significant increase in deaths reported is attributable to the extreme weather B.C. has experienced and continues to impact many parts of our province,” she stated.

Temperatures in Richmond reached the mid-30 Celsius, while the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada was surpassed in Lytton at 49.6 degrees Celsius, shortly before 90 per cent of the town burned in a wildfire.