Over 130 dead as Canada reels under record breaking temperature

The scorching heat stretching from the US state of Oregon to Canada's Arctic territories has been blamed on a high-pressure ridge trapping warm air in the region.

Canada set a record all-time high temperature on Tuesday in the town of Lytton, British Columbia, for the third day in a row as a deadly heat wave broiled the country's west and the US Pacific Northwest, its weather service said.

Kids cool off at a community water park on a scorching hot day in Richmond, British Columbia. (AFP)

"At 4:20pm, Lytton Climate Station reported 49.5°C, once again, breaking the daily and all-time temperature records for the 3rd straight day," Environment and Climate Change Canada posted on Twitter, announcing a temperature equal to 121 degrees Fahrenheit.

At least 134 people have died since Friday in the Vancouver area, according to figures released by the city police department and the Royal Canadian Mounted police, reports news agency AFP.

The Vancouver Police Department said it had responded to more than 65 sudden deaths since Friday, with the vast majority "related to the heat." "Vancouver has never experienced heat like this, and sadly dozens of people are dying because of it," police sergeant Steve Addison said.

Other local municipalities have said they too have responded to many sudden death calls, but have yet to release tolls.

Temperatures in the US Pacific Northwest cities of Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington reached levels not seen since record-keeping began in the 1940s-- 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Portland and 108 in Seattle Monday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The heat wave has forced schools and Covid-19 vaccination centers to close in the Vancouver area, while officials set up temporary water fountains and misting stations on street corners.