Hot weather kills 30 in Thailand as heat index hits ‘extremely dangerous’ level

City authorities in Bangkok gave an extreme heat warning as the heat index was expected to rise above 52 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit).

Temperatures in the concrete sprawl of the Thai capital hit 40.1 C on Wednesday and similar levels were forecast for Thursday.

A wave of exceptionally hot weather has blasted parts of South and Southeast Asia this week, prompting schools across the Philippines to suspend classes and worshippers in Bangladesh to pray for rain.

The heat index – a measure of what the temperature feels like taking into account humidity, wind speed and other factors – was at an “extremely dangerous” level in Bangkok, the city’s environment department warned.

‘So hot you can’t breathe’: heat index…