Cardiac arrests spike, deaths likely as state swelters through heatwave

The heatwave sweeping Victoria has already led to a spike in cardiac arrests, and things are only going to get worse as the heat goes on, with emergency services expecting deaths.

Beachgoers in St Kilda on Tuesday.

The heatwave is forecast to last until Friday at least and is bringing extreme heat to some parts of the state, with overnight temperatures forecast to remain high as well. Parts of the Mallee face several days of 45-degree temperatures.

Mildura and Swan Hill both topped 45 on Tuesday.

“We’re in the second day of this," Justin Dunlop, Victoria’s state controller for heat, said on Tuesday. ''And we know the third, fourth and fifth day is when we expect to see a lot of people becoming unwell, and possibly dying.”

Read the story from The Age by Liam Mannix and Simone Fox Koob  - “Cardiac arrests spike, deaths likely as state swelters through heatwave.”