Deadliest year on record as Phoenix heat fatalities rise by 50%
by Nina Lakhani, climate justice reporter from Environment | The Guardian on (#6G9X9)
Hottest US city, buffeted by extreme temperatures, sees 579 heat-related in 2023, with large proportion among unhoused people
Heat deaths surged by 50% in Phoenix in 2023 - the deadliest year on record after extreme temperatures pummeled America's hottest city, official figures show.
At least 579 people lost their lives to heat this year, with senior citizens accounting for one in three deaths, according to the year's final heat surveillance report by the medical examiner's office in Maricopa county, where Phoenix is located. Another 56 suspected heat deaths are still under investigation.
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