Houston, June 30 (RHC)-- Authorities in Mexico and the southern United States have reported an uptick in heat-related deaths as high temperatures smother the region, resulting in power outages and heightened risks for those with fewer resources to stay cool.

The heat wave has resulted in at least 14 deaths in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana as of Thursday.   And on Wednesday, Mexican authorities released a report indicating that 112 people have died from heat-related causes so far this year, including 69 deaths in just one week this month.

That total was nearly three times higher than the overall number of heat-related deaths in 2022, which peaked at 42, according to Mexico’s health ministry.

But Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has cast doubt on the rising death toll, dismissing reports as part of an “alarmist, yellow-journalism trend.”  Meanwhile, the country has experienced temperatures soaring as high as 40 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent weeks.  Many of the deaths have occurred in northern states such as Nuevo Leon, which partly borders Texas, due to heat stroke and dehydration.

A joint study by the Red Cross and the United Nations previously found that 38 heatwaves resulted in at least 70,000 deaths between 2010 and 2019. The actual death toll, the study added, is likely much higher.  The current heat wave stretches across the length of Mexico and the southern US, covering a region from Florida’s Panhandle west to Arizona.

The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) issued excessive heat warnings in states such as Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri, with temperatures of more than 43 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) baking the region. Authorities have urged residents to exercise caution when contending with the sweltering outdoor conditions.