More than 150 people at outdoor high school graduation ceremonies fell ill in a ‘mass casualty’ event amid a US heatwave.
Nine people at a first graduation on Monday in Paterson, New Jersey, were taken to hospitals, with some suffering from dehydration, said Paterson Fire Chief Alex Alicea.
About 50 people at Hinchliffe Stadium were treated for heat-related illnesses, according to the Paterson Fire Division.
In a second graduation ceremony there later in the day, seven people were transported to hospitals and roughly 100 people were treated at the scene. Alicea said.
He called it ‘a mass casualty incident’ because of the sheer number of people who required medical attention.
Temperatures in the area reached the upper 90s in Fahrenheit on Monday, and the heat index got to 107 degrees, according to The Weather Channel.
Officials shut down the ceremony and Paterson Mayor André Sayegh declared a state of emergency ‘due to the extreme heat’.
‘All recreational activities are canceled until further notice,’ he stated in an Instagram post.
‘Our libraries will serve as cooling centers, and water will also be available.’
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