According to the State Forensic Medical Examination Centre, 20 deaths related to general body hypothermia were registered in January and February of this year.
In January, prolonged frosts began in Latvia, with temperatures often dropping below -20 degrees.
In January, 12 deaths were registered, caused by general hypothermia.
Nine men and three women aged between 27 and 72 years died. Seven deaths occurred outdoors or in public places - on the streets, in parks, at building entrances, or in abandoned vehicles in various regions of Latvia.
In five cases, death occurred in residential or other enclosed spaces, including unheated homes.
In four cases, alcohol was detected in the bodies of the deceased, in four cases alcohol was not detected, and in four cases the results of laboratory tests have not yet been obtained.
By February 15, eight more cases of death from hypothermia were identified in Latvia, reported Janis Vanags, a representative of the State Forensic Medical Examination Centre.
Seven of the deceased were men, and one was a woman. The ages of the deceased ranged from 35 to 86 years.
In Riga, four cases were registered - two on the street, one in a stairwell, and one in a residential building. One case was registered in the Augšdaugava, Rēzekne, Sigulda, and Olaines municipalities.
Two of the deceased were in a state of alcohol intoxication, while in two cases alcohol was not detected.
In the remaining cases, the results of the examinations have not yet been obtained.
In 2024, 74 people died in Latvia due to low temperatures.
