At least 25 people have died amid a climate crisis-driven heatwave that has scorched large parts of the United States with record temperatures. More than 20 states reported temperatures exceeding 100°F (38°C) as a major heat dome settled over the eastern half of the country during the July 4 semiquincentennial holiday weekend and beyond.
Officials in New Jersey attribute the deaths of 22 people across 10 counties, mostly in central and northern parts of the state, to the extreme heat. Many victims were found in homes without air conditioning, outside their residences, on streets, and in parked cars.
In Mississippi, Hinds County reported the death of 74-year-old Mitchell Ray Cooley due to heat exposure. The coroner’s office noted that Cooley had a medical condition impairing his judgment, and after investigation, determined the cause of death to be weather-related heat exposure. Separately, 83-year-old Martha Irene Van Egmond died in Bolton, Mississippi, on June 27 after falling in her garden.
During rain-dampened Independence Day celebrations in Washington DC, emergency services treated 51 people for heat-related issues by 8pm ET, with 12 hospitalized.
More than 140 million people remained under active heat alerts across the US on Sunday, underscoring the widespread impact of the heatwave.
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