Headline

Rising Heat-Related Deaths in AZ

 Arizona, USA

FILE - A jet takes flight from Sky Harbor International Airport as the sun sets over Phoenix, July 12, 2023. The toll of heat associated deaths still being tallied after the hottest summer ever in Arizona’s most populous county has now soared over 360, alarming public health officials. (Credit: AP Photo/Matt York, File)

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Officials in Phoenix, Arizona, are still counting the deaths due to this summer’s record-breaking heat and the numbers just keep rising, the AP reports. The heat-related death toll for this year in Maricopa County has officially topped 360, around 30 more deaths than officials counted last year around this time; last year, the county recorded an annual record of 425 heat-related deaths, and officials expect this year’s count to exceed that. According to the AP, the county is unique in both the extremely high numbers of heat deaths and in keeping such a detailed record and studying the specifics of heat-related mortality. “It’s really important to know the circumstances around these deaths,” Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for Maricopa County Public Health, told the AP. “It can lead to policy changes.”

Full Story: AP