Summer has come early for Iraq this year, with temperatures soaring to dangerous levels in the southern provinces on Thursday, the national weather center said.
Global temperatures are stuck at near-record highs this year, according to the EU's climate monitor, extending an unprecedented heat streak that started in 2023.
"It is the highest temperature recorded in Iraq this year," weather centre spokesperson Amer al-Jabiri told AFP.
He said the early heat was in contrast to last year, when the temperature was "relatively good" in May and "it only began to rise in June".
On Thursday, the temperature climbed to 49 degrees Celsius (over 120 Fahrenheit) in the provinces of Basra and Missan, and it reached 48 degrees in the nearby Dhi Qar province, according to the weather centre.
In Iraq, summer temperatures often exceed 50 degrees Celsius, especially in July and August, and sometimes reach these levels earlier.
On Sunday, two cadets died and others were admitted to hospital with heat stroke at a military academy in Dhi Qar, authorities said.
The defense ministry said nine cadets "showed signs of fatigue and exhaustion due to sun exposure" while waiting to be assigned to battalions.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an investigation into the two deaths.
Iraq is one of the five countries most impacted by some effects of climate change, according to the United Nations. It has also seen a prolonged drought and frequent dust storms.
While the province of Missan is used to scorching summers, environment activist and daily labourer Mustafa Hashem said "the heat started sooner than expected this year".
"One of my colleagues fainted yesterday while we were maintaining cooling equipment on the roof of a building," he added.
