CHICAGO (AP) — Autopsy reports released Sunday show the recent heat wave was a factor in 11 deaths in the Chicago area.
The Cook County medical examiner's office concludes
that three more people died because of the extreme heat. Prior to Sunday the
death toll was eight.
Two Chicagoans died of heart disease, but a
secondary cause was heat stress. Also, a 68-year-old man was the third
heat-related death.
Authorities say the majority of the people killed
by the heat had pre-existing conditions that were exacerbated by high
temperatures. The last similar heat wave in the region in 1995 resulted in more
than 750 deaths over a five-day period.
The Chicago area has since developed a heat
response plan that includes more cooling centers and well-being checks to the
elderly.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
