Extreme heat has sent temperatures soaring in Thailand as authorities warned people to stay indoors.
The Meteorological Department’s forecast on Saturday said the highest temperature in the next 24 hours could reach 43C in the country’s north and could hit 40C in the capital, Bangkok. The highest temperature on Saturday was in the northern province of Phetchabun at 42.5C.
“Even if I turn the air conditioning to 20 degrees, I still sweat,” said 37-year-old Supichaya Jittaleela, who attended an outdoor political rally despite the heat.
People should be wary of extremely high temperatures as well as sudden summer storms until at least next week, the weather department said. A police officer directing traffic in Samut Prakarn, a province just south of Bangkok, collapsed and died of heart stroke, media reported this week.
Saturday’s highest heat index - which measures what the temperature feels like due to humidity - was forecast to be 53.8C in the eastern province of Chonburi. On Sunday, the southern resort island of Phuket could feel hotter than 54C.
