British Columbia [Canada], July 1 (HornbillTV): The Western Canadian province of British Columbia has registered an unprecedented 195 per cent raise in sudden fatalities within the past five days amid the heatwave. Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said.

"The last five days in British Columbia have seen an unprecedented number of deaths reported to the BC Coroners Service. Between Friday and 1 p.m. today [18:00 of the previous day GMT], at least 486 sudden and unexpected deaths have been reported to our agency. This number is preliminary and will increase as coroners enter death reports into our system. The 486 deaths currently entered represent a 195 % increase over the approximately 165 deaths that would normally occur in the province over a five-day period,” Lapointe said in a statement.

She added that the rise in fatalities was likely to be caused by the heatwave but the exact link is yet to be proved.

Canada is currently facing an abnormal heatwave, with an absolute record of 49.5 degrees Celsius (over 120 degrees Fahrenheit) registered on Tuesday.