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full screen A man relaxes at a table in a mall in a stuffy Hanoi. Archive image. Photo: Huy Han/AP/TT
The heat waves in Southeast and South Asia continue to break records. In various parts of Vietnam, more than a hundred heat records were recorded for the month of April, with peak values of just over 44 degrees, according to official data.
The most dramatic effects of the extreme heat hit an artificial lake in Dong Nai province, where hundreds of thousands of fish died from lack of water and mismanagement.
Extreme heat waves have swept through parts of Asia this year, from India to the Philippines, setting several heat records as a result. In Thailand, at least 30 people have died from heat stroke, and in the Philippines and Bangladesh, schooling has been canceled due to the risks of the heat.
April and May are normally the hottest months in Southeast Asia. But according to experts, the heat waves are amplified by the emissions caused by man’s fossil fuels. And this year, the recurring weather phenomenon El Niño has also contributed to extra high temperatures.