"The data we have so far shows that 34 people died between April 19 and 23. This is already more than the 24 deaths in three months, between April and June 2023, with similar symptoms," the spokesperson for the Bangladeshi non-profit organisation Foundation for Disaster Forum, Meherunnisa Jhumur, told the Spanish news agency EFE. .

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) issued a red heat alert in the country on April 22 for 72 hours, which ends today.

"Due to the increasing influx of humidity, discomfort may increase," the BMD said in the emergency weather bulletin.

April is usually the hottest month in this Asian country, but this year "the heat is being felt intensely, as there is no sign of rain".

"It is unlikely to improve by the end of this month," BMD meteorologist Tarikul Newaz told EFE.

Bangladesh recorded the highest temperature of the year, 42.6 degrees Celsius, in the northwestern district of Chuadanga on April 20, a value considered by experts to be part of a "very severe" heat wave.

Dhaka, with a maximum of 40.6°C this year, recorded the highest temperature in the city in 58 years, with the streets practically deserted due to the intensity of the sun.

On Sunday, the authorities ordered the closure of schools and colleges for a week, while most public universities offer 'online' classes.

Millions of other people face extreme heat in sprawling slums, without access to adequate water and electricity in the Bangladeshi capital and other cities in the country.

In Bangkok, which can reach 40 degrees, the Thai Meteorological Department has issued a warning for an extreme heat wave, with temperatures expected to reach 44 degrees, which could be exceeded in several locations in the country -- Tuesday reached 44.2 degrees in the province of Lampang (north).

The records are close to the 44.6 degrees that the province of Tak (northwest) reached last year, the highest temperature ever recorded in the Asian country, which, for the second consecutive year, is experiencing extreme heat in the month of April, normally the hottest before the start of the rainy season.

Also in Cambodia, the authorities have issued a warning for the next three days, with temperatures expected to reach 39 degrees in some parts of the country.

The heat wave is also being felt in other countries in the region, such as Malaysia, which has issued a heat alert in ten areas of the country, reminding school children to drink enough water to avoid health problems such as dehydration.

This level of alert is issued when temperatures are between 35 and 37 degrees for three consecutive days.

In the Philippines, the Meteorological Institute has also warned of temperatures of up to 38 degrees in the northern city of Tuguegarao, while in Manila, the capital, temperatures are expected to be around 35 degrees.

In addition to the heat typical of these dates in the area, aggravated in recent years by the climate crisis, there is also the 'El Niño' phenomenon, which brings greater dryness and heat.

'El Niño' causes an increase in temperatures that aggravate the effects of climate change, while 'La Niña' is a colder and more humid phase.

In October 2023, the UN and the Red Cross indicated in a joint report that heat waves will be more frequent, intense and deadly in the future due to climate change, and could even "exceed human, psychological and social limits" in regions such as the Sahel, the Horn of Africa or South Asia.

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