VANCOUVER (AP) – An ongoing heat wave in western Canada has caused new maximum temperatures and contributed to a number of deaths. The thermometer showed 49.6 °C in Lytton (province of British Columbia) on Tuesday, as announced by the local weather authority on Twitter.

This is an “all time temperature record”. Initially, weather officials spoke of 49.5° as the initial value and later updated it to 49.55° (rounded to 49.6).

As Canadian media reports, the heat has already contributed to dozens of deaths. More than 100 sudden deaths were reported to police in the province of British Columbia since Friday, TV broadcaster CBC reported. Extreme heat is seen as a contributing cause in most cases. This should continue in the coming days as well.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on Tuesday that more than 25 people died suddenly in a 24-hour period in the town of Burnaby, east of Vancouver, alone. Many elderly people are also among the dead. The police called on the population to pay special attention to risk groups. “It’s important that we take care of each other in this scorching heat,” police spokesman Mike Kalanj said. In the west coast metropolis of Vancouver, several air-conditioned centers have been set up where people can find refuge from the heat.