Eleven people died last year in British Columbia from suspected heat-related injuries, according to the latest data from the provincial coroner's service.

Updated statistics on these deaths show that they occurred between the months of May and August, with more than 80 percent recorded in July and August 2023.

Among the dead were eight men and three women. All the victims, except one, were aged 50 or over, forensic medicine recalled.

The coroner defines a heat-related death as one in which the victim's body temperature, or the area around the body, is high enough to indicate hyperthermia, or there is medical or other evidence at the scene suggesting that heat played a role in the death.

In 2022, 16 people (mostly over the age of 60) died from heat injuries in British Columbia, with all deaths recorded in July and August.

Meanwhile, during the summer of 2021 heat wave, which set record temperatures in Western Canada, a staggering 619 people died from causes related to extreme temperatures.

The Coroner's Service advises residents to check on friends and family, especially those who live alone, to stay hydrated and to visit air-conditioned public spaces such as community centers, libraries and shopping malls if air conditioning is not available at home.

Last year, the provincial government provided $10 million through the provincial hydroelectric utility to provide up to eight thousand free air conditioning units to vulnerable and low-income residents. npg/adr