Mexico's capital bakes under searing heat
Mexico City, which is in the midst of a heatwave, recorded its highest-ever temperature on Saturday as thermostats hit 34.7 degrees Celsius, according to the National Meteorological Service (SMN). The record high was recorded on Saturday afternoon at the Tacubaya observatory, the SMN said, after thermometers in the capital reached an earlier record of 34.3 degrees Celsius on May 9. Scientists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico warned on Wednesday that in the next two weeks intensifying heat could bring new record temperatures to the city. The country has recorded 48 deaths due to intense heatwaves hitting the country since March, the government said on Friday. The eastern coastal state of Veracruz recorded the highest number of deaths, with 14, followed by Tabasco, San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas with eight each. Last year, Mexico reported a record 419 heat-related deaths in the hot season, which runs from March to October, in a country of 129 million people. (AFP)