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Jul 1, 2021 1:39 AM -

486 sudden and unexpected deaths have been reported in B.C. amid heat wave: BC Coroners Service

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File - Avery Williams, right, 20, who was visiting Spokane from Brentwood, TN, wipes his face down and drinks water with his sister Camille, 16, lower left, as they escape the heat with their mother Heather Brentwood, not pictured, on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, at a downtown cooling center in the same building as the Looff Carrousel in Spokane, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review via AP)

BC's chief coroner says at least 486 sudden and unexpected deaths have been reported to the agency during the extreme heat wave in the province.

Lisa Lapointe says that's a 195 per cent increase over the approximately 165 deaths that would normally occur in the province over a five-day period.

Lapointe says it's still too early to determine the exact cause of death but it's believed likely that the increase is attributable to the extreme weather BC has been experiencing.

She also says the number of sudden deaths is preliminary and will increase as coroners enter death reports into the system.

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