The Coroners Service of Canada's British Columbia Province has reported 719 sudden deaths in the past week, triple the number that would normally occur in the province, Report informs, citing CBC.
"We are releasing this information as it is believed likely the extreme weather B.C. has experienced in the past week is a significant contributing factor to the increased number of deaths," Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner, said in a release.
This comes after a dangerous and unrelenting heatwave crushed temperature records across the province.
Earlier this week, police in Metro Vancouver said they experienced a spike in calls related to sudden deaths under the oppressive heat.
Lapointe says the coroners service received an unprecedented number of reports of sudden and unexpected deaths throughout the province from last Friday to Thursday.
She says British Columbia had seen only three heat-related deaths in the past three to five years before the heatwave.
"Many of our health services, our first responders, we haven't experienced anything like this in the province previously. It took a bit of time for us to ramp up our response," Lapointe said in a briefing earlier this week.
As the heatwave warning has ended throughout many parts of the province, Lapointe says the coroners service is seeing a downward trend in deaths reported in the last few days.
For parts of the province still experiencing unusually high temperatures, Lapointe says it remains important for people to take extra precautions and check on those who live alone.
"Whenever possible, people are encouraged to visit cooler environments," Lapointe said.
She says many of the deaths reported over the past week were among older individuals living alone in private residences.