Exceptional heatwaves scorch Asia, forcing schools to suspend classes amid health warnings

ANKARA:

South and Southeast Asia braced for a searing heatwave that has gripped the region over the past week, sending the mercury as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) and forcing thousands of schools to suspend in-person classes amid health warnings.

From the Philippines to Thailand, and India to Bangladesh, forecasters warned that mercury could exceed 40C (104F) in the coming days as people suffered from scorching heat.

In the Philippines, the government suspended in-person classes in all public schools for two days due to extreme weather, the local English daily Manila Times reported.

"In view of the latest heat index forecast ... and the announcement of a nationwide transport strike, all public schools nationwide shall implement asynchronous classes/distance learning on April 29 and 30, 2024," the Department of Education, which oversees more than 47,000 schools, said in a statement.

The exceptionally extreme weather is expected to last until mid-May after the temperature hit a record high -- 38.8C (101.84F) -- in Manila on Saturday.

In Bangladesh, schools in five districts, including the capital Dhaka, remained closed due to the ongoing heatwave.

The decision came after the meteorological office extended the ongoing heat alert for 72 hours from Sunday. The heat alert projected no possibility of rain or temperature cut in the next three days.

Read also: Heatwaves put millions of children in Asia at risk: UN

At least eight people, including two school teachers, died on the first day of school on Sunday in six districts, including Dhaka, reported local Ekattor TV.

Heat waves swept across the entire country for 29 days straight until Monday, the longest heat wave in recorded history since 1948, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Dhaka on Monday recorded a temperature of 39C (102F), while a season-high temperature of 42.7C (108.86F) was recorded in the western Chuadanga district on Friday.

Meteorologists issued a "severe weather" warning in Thailand after temperatures in a northern province exceeded 44.1C (111.38F) on Saturday.

The heatstroke has so far claimed at least 30 lives in Thailand this year.

Also in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, forecasters warned that temperatures could exceed 40C (104F) in the coming days.

Global temperatures hit record highs last year, and the UN weather and climate agency said Asia was warming at a particularly rapid pace.