Thirteen people have died of “heat stroke” in Bolivia in recent days, the Bolivian government said on Monday, as weather authorities reported record temperatures in the country.
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Health Minister Maria René Castro announced that 13 people had died in the department of Santa Cruz (east), on the border with Brazil.
“These people died of heat stroke,” she said, noting that all of the victims also suffered from a pre-existing condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
In “100% of cases, severe or moderate to severe dehydration occurred. That’s why these people died,” she added.
The National Meteorology and Hydrology Service (Senamhi) reported separately on Monday that at least 15 cities in the north, east and southeast of the country recorded record heat.
According to Senamhi, the temperature in the villages of Santa Cruz was between 36°C and 41°C.
Marisol Portugal of the state weather agency cited the example of the peak of extreme heat in the city of Yacuiba, on the border with Argentina, where the thermometer reached 44.9 °C, breaking the record of 43 °C set in 1974.
In addition to the heat, there is significant smoke from forest fires in the departments of Santa Cruz, Beni (northeast) and La Paz (west), which have not yet been brought under control.
Between Sunday and Monday, flights at Viru-Viru International Airport serving the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra were delayed or suspended.
Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo told a news conference that the government was seeking international cooperation to put out the fires.
This request was sent by the Venezuelan government, which will send around thirty specialized firefighters in the coming hours.
The temperature rise is exacerbated by burning forests and meadows, a practice used to expand agricultural land.
According to the latest report from the Bolivian Environment Ministry, flames have destroyed 2.9 million hectares this year, including 2 million hectares of bush and grassland and 935,000 hectares of forests