By Kate Pickles Health Editor For The Daily Mail

Published: 19:00 EDT, 21 September 2023 | Updated: 02:03 EDT, 22 September 2023

Hundreds of Brits are expected to die this week as the 33C heatwave bares down on England. 

Climate and health experts told MailOnline the nation should brace for another wave of excess deaths similar to the 3,000 recorded during last year’s sizzling summer.

While the mercury isn’t predicted to come close to last season’s record 40C, experts warned not to underestimate how deadly 30C-plus temperatures can be.

The over 65s, newborn babies, and people with health conditions, like heart or lung conditions are said to be the most at risk.

However, even healthy adults have been warned they could also be at risk with the vast majority of England now falling under an ‘amber’ heat health alert.

An amber warning means the whole population is considered to be at risk.  

Only the North East of the country has been somewhat spared, with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issuing a ‘yellow’ alert, signifying that temperatures are only a major risk to the vulnerable.

The six-day alert, which began yesterday and will run until Sunday night, warns of higher death rates and ‘significant impacts’ on vulnerable people and the NHS.

It was the vulnerable who were the major victims of last year’s five heatwaves, with an extra 2,800 fatalities officially recorded, mostly among the over 65s.

Analysts said at the time they had never seen such high levels of excess mortality in heatwaves since records began nearly two decades ago.

Dr Antonio Gasparrini, an expert in statistics and epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, warned this heatwave would be no different and a spike in deaths was inevitable despite temperatures remaining below 40C.

‘Heat-related mortality starts increasing well below such extreme temperatures, and it can be expected that a noticeable increase in deaths will occur even at ranges predicted in the current heatwave,’ he said. 

‘An excess [of deaths] in the range of the hundreds would not be surprising.’ 

Dr Gasparrini said deaths from heat increase gradually from a certain ‘optimal’ temperature, about 18-20C in the UK, before increasingly sharply as it gets hotter.

However, he said the true scale of the problem will only emerge in the months to come as deaths are officially recorded and analysed. 

Dr Gasparrini added that while the elderly and those with existing health conditions had been rightly highlighted as being the most at risk from the current heatwave, others shouldn’t be complacent. 

‘Increases in risks are noticeable also in healthy and relatively young people,’ he said.

However, he added that while tips on coping with the heat, like those being issued by the likes of UKHSA, was welcome more active projects like improving Britain’s infrastructure to keep the public cool were needed. 

Dr Friederike Otto, an expert in climate science from Imperial College London, also predicted a spike in deaths from the heat in the coming days. 

‘With many poorly insulated homes and people not very used to temperatures above 30C sadly a spike in excess mortality is to be expected,’ she said. 

‘Heat is deadly, for the population and infrastructure in the UK, people die at 30C. People need to know this.’

Like Dr Gasparrini, she urged young people not to consider themselves ‘invincible’ from life-threatening heat. 

‘When being outdoors in the sun, forgetting to hydrate and living in polluted cities, heat strokes and serious other health problems can occur for everyone.’

Dr Otto urged Brits to not only take care of themselves but check on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours. 

‘When high temperatures are forecast, people should follow heat advice from governments and local authorities, ensure they drink enough water and remain in cooler areas with shade or in cool buildings, especially during the warmest part of the day,’ she said. 

She also warned the UK was not doing enough to prepare for extreme heat events, preparations that could reduce excess deaths.

‘Our cities and homes are not built to deal with extreme heat,’ she said. 

‘But it is not a secret what needs to be done and redesigning our cities to be more resilient to weather extremes also reduces emissions and benefits health and biodiversity. 

‘It should be an absolute no-brainer to do this.’

One major of the concerns is that numerous Brits could experience heat exhaustion.

This condition, triggered by the body being unable to cool itself down, can cause dizziness, excessive sweating and lead to potentially fatal heat stroke. 

People with circulation or breathing problems, which limit their ability to cool down are particularity at risk.

Brits with dementia are also at high risk, as they may forget to drink enough fluids during periods of high heat. 

The experts’ grim predictions come amid fears heatwave-related injuries and illnesses will pile pressure on the already overstretched NHS.

Health experts fear great swathes of the population, especially the elderly and those with dementia, will be hit by heat-related sickness — increasing demand for NHS services.

The NHS itself is also ill-equipped to deal with the mercury rising to these levels, with older buildings not designed to cope with the heat leading some hospitals to shut down wards or cancel operations.

The current heatwave has seen the UK’s autumn start in an unseasonably warm fashion after a disappointing summer when Britain endured its sixth wettest July since records began. 

A gender reveal party turned deadly after a small plane nosedived and killed the pilot in front of cheering guests – who were oblivious to the tragedy that unfolded above their heads. 

The happy couple were celebrating their pregnancy with family and friends in Sinaloa, Mexico, and hired a small jet to fly past and dump either pink or blue colored powder to indicate the gender of their baby.

As the plane approached the mom and dad-to-be, who were standing next to an ‘Oh baby’ sign, it released pink smoke from its fuselage – indicating they would be having a daughter.

Shrills and cheers of joy erupted as the loved-up couple kissed beneath the pink residue on September 2. 

But in the same moment, the Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee aircraft suddenly shot upwards, rotating on its side as one of its wings collapsed mid-air.

The aircraft continued to spiral out of control, past the palm trees in the background of the couple’s idyllic moment in the town of San Pedro, Sinaloa. 

Before realizing the tragedy that had occurred, the couple continued to embrace while family members congratulated them. 

Luis Angel N., 32, was the pilot and the only person in the small plane, local media reports. He was found lying in the rubble after the crash.

He was rushed to hospital where he sadly died, according to the Aviation Safety Network. 

Clips from the tragic moment have gone viral on social media – and an image of what is believed to be the mangled aircraft showed the extent of the damage.

Footage from beyond the garden where the gender reveal party was taking place also showed how the plane continued to tumult through the sky before crashing. 

The limp plane, still spewing out pink powder, flew past a parking lot before eventually hitting the ground.  

This is not the first time that an elaborate gender reveal party has turned deadly.

In recent years, people have come up with more creative – and dangerous – ways to announced to their loves ones if they’re having a girl or a boy.

In October 2019, a grandmother in rural Iowa was killed at a gender reveal party after being hit by shrapnel from a homemade pipe bomb that her family built to shoot out the colored powder. 

Pamela Kreimeyer, 56, died after the explosion sent debris flying at her home in Iowa. She was struck in the head by a piece of metal from 45 feet away and died instantly.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the family had been ‘experimenting with different types of explosive material’. Police said the family hoped to post the reveal on social media for loved ones.

It is understood the family placed gunpowder in the bottom of a homemade stand that was welded to a metal base plate.

After drilling a hole in the side for a fuse, a piece of wood was placed on top of the gunpowder and colored powder was placed on top of the board.

Tape was then wrapped over the top of the metal tubing, inadvertently creating a pipe bomb.

In February 2021, a 28-year-old father-to-be was killed in New York after a device he was building for his child’s gender revel party exploded.

Christopher Pekny was assembling the device, said to include a pipe, in the garage of his home in the Catskills town of Liberty when it blew up.

Weeks before that, another man was killed in Michigan when he was struck by shrapnel from a gender reveal cannon at a friend’s baby shower.

Evan Thomas Silva, 26, of Hartland, was killed on February 6 2021 outside a home in Genesee County’s Gaines Township. Four people were in the backyard of the home when the small cannon was fired.

Boulder storm ‘as deadly as Hiroshima’ accidentally unleashed by NASA during test to change the trajectory of an asteroid

By Stacy Liberatore For Dailymail.com

Updated: 14:29 EDT, 8 August 2023

A man went on a ‘stabbing rampage’ near a South Korean subway station, killing one and injuring at least 13 people after running down three people with a car, according to South Korean media.

The attack took place near the Seohyeon subway station in Seongnam, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) southeast of Seoul, an official at the National Police Agency said.

CCTV footage of the incident shows the suspect stalking through the busy department store connected to the station, wearing a dark jacket and brandishing a long blade, before lunging at bystanders.

Unverified images of Thursday’s attack showed the shop floor stained with blood drops and at least one emergency medical helicopter arriving to the scene. 

Other clips showed how some citizens were desperately trying to stop the bleeding of victims lying on the floor following the violent spree. 

Police said Thursday’s assailant was arrested after apparently targeting people at random. 

Media reports described him as a man in his 20s with a delivery job and suffering from some mental health issues. 

Earlier footage showed a man with short dark hair and glasses holding what looked to be a blade stepping onto an escalator. But in security camera footage, the perpetrator appeared to be wearing a hood.  

It is thought the suspect, who was arrested at the scene according to officials, may have procured the hooded top in the department store prior to the attack.

Police said a motive for the stabbings was not immediately clear, and investigators said the suspect made ‘incomprehensible statements’ after he was detained.

At least eight of the stabbing victims are in critical condition, Yonhap reported.

In response to the attack, the National Police Agency said it would hold an online meeting with regional police chiefs to discuss ways to deal with stabbings and other attacks against random targets. 

Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun warned South Koreans to be on guard for such attacks and urged officials to be vigilant and look out for copycat crimes. 

It comes a fortnight after one person was killed and three wounded in another stabbing incident in the South Korean capital on July 21. 

South Korea is typically an extremely safe country, with a murder rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people in 2021, according to official statistics. 

By comparison, the United States has 7.8 homicide deaths per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Bundang, an affluent satellite city of Seoul, generally has a reputation for safe streets and residential neighbourhoods but the two stabbings triggered concern online.

‘The attack (near the) Seohyeon station is really terrifying,’ one wrote on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X. 

‘How can we feel safe and comfortable going outside with incidents like this happening?’ 

A doctor has explained the risks the killer hornet can pose to the human body –  amid fresh sightings of the terrifying creature in the UK. 

Fears of a potential invasion have grown since the Asian hornet was discovered in Plymouth last Sunday. 

The sightings prompted an official warning for the public to be ‘on guard’ to help prevent the spread of the species.  

Since 2016, there have been a total of 28 sightings in the UK, and five are confirmed to have happened this year. The figure includes a total of 14 nests, which were all destroyed, according to the government website. 

Posting to his TikTok account, Dr Karan Raj warned of the potential dangers the critter can cause – and how one sting could be fatal to the human body. 

The Asian hornet has a quarter inch stinger, and, according to Dr Raj: ‘Can inject a venom called mandarotoxin, which is a neurotoxin and affects the nervous system.’ 

The doctor explained that this can cause temporary paralysis and a loss of sensation in the place where you are stung.  

The doctor continued: ‘It is also a necrotoxin, which means it can cause cell death and, to someone who is allergic to the venom it can be lethal.’

He added that those who are allergic to the sting can suffer from anaphylactic shock which may result in swelling of the eyes, mouth and throat. 

It may also lead to severe breathing problems and a sharp drop in blood pressure, which could result in cardiac arrest.  

Dr Raj said: ‘The venom from multiple stings can cause kidney failure, which can eventually result in multi-organ failure. 

While the Asian hornet has not killed any people in the UK this year, the killer creature reportedly causes 30 to 50 deaths per year in Japan. 

The doctor also highlighted that the Asian hornets are a threat to the honeybee population in the UK. 

Since it was posted, the video has received over 66,000 likes and Dr Raj has had hundreds of comments from terrified TikTokers. 

One user wrote: ‘Petition for them to go extinct,’ another said: ‘Yiiikess.’

Another claimed: ‘I got stung by one and couldn’t walk on my right leg for three days.’

Insect experts have also warned of the threat of the killer hornets to bees, and are now calling on the public to report any sightings.

Asian hornets, which are smaller than the UK’s native hornets, prey on honeybees and therefore pose a major threat to honeybee populations. 

The experts from DEFRA, warned people not to approach any potential nests due to the dangers the black and yellow hornets pose.

According to Defra’s Chief Plant and Bee Health Officer Nicola Spencer, Asian hornets do not generally pose any more of a threat to humans than native British wasps or hornets, but show aggression if their nests are disturbed. 

The Natural History Museum also warns that the hornet can inject more venom per sting, it said: ‘The stinger is long enough to puncture thick, protective clothing, such as the kind normally worn by beekeepers.’

What makes them more lethal, the website explained, is that they will recruit other hornets and attack as a group. 

The quality of venom that can be injected through multiple stings can be dangerous to young children and those with existing health conditions. 

Ferocious storms have hammered Europe in recent days with Italy being hit by an ‘apocalyptic’ supercell and a deadly 135mph tornado tearing through Switzerland – while wildfires continue to rage in southern holiday hotspots.

The tornado struck the Swiss city of La Chaux-de-Fonds on Monday, killing at least one person and injuring 15 others. 

Footage emerged today showing relative calm before a ferocious squall barrelled through, tearing up trees and sending debris flying.

Similar vicious winds have damaged cities from Berlin to Milan and across to Romania’s Oradea, killing several people and leaving a trail of destruction.

Italy’s Udine region, 60 miles to the north-east of Venice, experienced the rare supercell phenomenon on Tuesday, with a cyclone hundreds of feet wide looming over the town of Codroipo and with flashes of lightning emanating from inside.

Further south on Italy’s Almalfi coast, unusually powerful waves crashed up against a beach, sending people running from the shore and rocking yachts on the water.

As powerful wind and huge hail battered swathes of the continent’s northern regions, wildfires were burning in at least nine countries as millions living in southern Europe continued to experience extreme heat.

In Portugal, locals and firefighters scrambled to put out a fire at a natural park near a beach resort, while in Croatia fires set off old landmines near the historic city of Dubrovnik.

Italy‘s southern island of Sicily has also been devastated by wildfires that have killed three elderly people, its regional president said today, with footage from the country’s roads showing scenes of people driving to safety down fire-flanked roads.

Meanwhile, blazes continue to wreak havoc in Greece with efforts to contain them yesterday resulting in the deaths of two pilots.

SWITZERLAND 

Monday’s tornado ‘unfortunately caused the death of one person in their 50s following the toppling of a construction crane’, Neuchatel police said. 

The storm passed through quickly but the strong winds caused significant damage.

Vehicles were damaged or destroyed, roofs were torn off, street furniture was blown away and trees were uprooted.

Footage showed a cloud rolling in over the lush, green Swiss countryside. As the fog enveloped the settlement, the winds suddenly picked up, causing trees to almost topple over and hail to fall.

Officials said a wind speed of 135 miles per hour was recorded on Monday ‘under a storm cell which suddenly strengthened when arriving in the region’.

Neuchatel police urged people not to expose themselves to risks such as falling tiles or trees, and warned further storms were likely.

ITALY

Meanwhile in Sicily, the charred bodies of a couple in their 70s were found in their burnt-out home on the outskirts of Palermo, the regional capital.

Another woman in her late 80s died in the Palermo province after an ambulance was unable to reach her home due to fires.

In a message on Facebook, Sicilian President Renato Schifani said ‘scorching heat and unprecedented devastating fires’ had turned Tuesday into ‘one of the most difficult days in decades’.

Italian firefighters said they battled nearly 1,400 fires between Sunday and Tuesday, including 650 in Sicily and 390 in Calabria, the southern mainland region where a bedridden 98-year-old man was killed as fire consumed his home.

Fires were still burning on the hills around Palermo on Wednesday, with Canadair planes back in operation to try to douse the flames.

Large areas of the Mediterranean have been sweltering under an intense summer heatwave on Tuesday, causing deadly blazes across the region.

Sicily is a major tourist destination but a fire inside a terminal building last week caused the near-total closure of its biggest airport in Catania on the east of the island. Palermo airport was also closed for a few hours on Tuesday because of a wildfire nearby.

‘I hope that tourist flows in the areas affected by the fires will not suffer losses,’ Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci, a Sicilian, told the La Stampa newspaper.

‘The risk … is there and it is understandable’.

The government was set to meet in Rome later Wednesday to declare a state of emergency in regions affected by natural disasters and introduce a special furlough scheme for workers most exposed to the heatwave.

While Italy’s south is battling with wildfires, the country’s northern Lombardy region saw a powerful storm accompanied by heavy hail.

This caused flooding and power outages and was blamed for the deaths of two people, including that of a 16-year-old girl at a scouts’ camp crushed by a falling tree.

Officials have reported tornadoes, while a rare supercell opened in the skies above the town of Codroipo, in the Italian province of Udine.

Pictures of the phenomenon showed what looks like a fissure in the sky underneath black clouds. Meteorologists say supercells form when hot air meets cold air, and release large amounts of energy in a short time.

Meanwhile, residents of Milan were surveying the mess after the dramatic overnight storm and winds of over 100 kilometres per hour.

‘It all happened around 4 or 5 AM (0200-0300 GMT) this morning, it was very short but very intense, it knocked down several trees … with the wind gusts they took off and broke up,’ witness Roberto Solfrizzo, 66, told Reuters.

In a sign that temperatures were finally easing, only two cities – Catania in Sicily and Bari in southern Puglia – were on a government heatwave ‘red alert’ list for Wednesday, down from 17 the previous day.

CROATIA

Across the Adriatic in Croatia, dozens of firefighters battled a wildfire near the country’s picturesque southern city of Dubrovnik, authorities said on Wednesday, with water-bombing planes dispatched to help contain the blaze.

The fire near Dubrovnik was reportedly some 7.5 miles from the famed medieval city in the Zupa Dubrovacka municipality.

The blaze broke out late Monday but had not triggered any evacuations of the nearby population, according to the firefighters association.

Around 130 firefighters were working to contain the flames that had been spread by strong winds on Tuesday.

Local media reported the fire also triggered landmines to explode in the area.

During the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Dubrovnik was besieged and shelled by Serb forces, leading several areas in the city to be damaged while swathes of its outskirts are still contaminated by landmines.

The UNESCO-protected city dates back to the 7th century and features a maze of churches, palaces and fountains perched above the shimmering Adriatic.

Dubrovnik has long been a hub for tourism and a cruise ship magnet but also gained notoriety in recent years after portions of the hit HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’ was filmed in the medieval walled city.

Known as the Pearl of Adriatic, the city attracts more than a million tourists annually.

Last week, at least five people were killed after violent thunderstorms swept across Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia following days of scorching temperatures in the Balkans.

Fires also swept across Portugal and Spain’s Gran Canaria, and several dozen firefighters were using aircraft to battle a wildfire that had broken out close to Nice international airport in southern France.

GREECE 

In Greece, officials are expecting scorching heat on Wednesday as crews continue their work to douse deadly wildfires.

Thousands of people have evacuated as Greek authorities struggle against flames on three major fronts, including the tourist islands of Rhodes and Corfu. 

Greece is used to summer heatwaves, but is experiencing one of the longest ones in recent years, according to experts. 

The civil protection ministry has warned of an extreme danger of fire in six of the country’s 13 regions on Wednesday.

Wildfires, which have been burning in several parts of the country for more than 10 days, were ravaging the tourist islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Evia.

At least 100 firefighters were working to contain the flames on Evia, where on Tuesday two pilots were killed when their water bomber aircraft crashed.

The body of a third victim was also found on Evia. Authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of people from fire areas in Greece, including many tourists. 

PORTUGAL 

Aided by local residents, hundreds of Portuguese firefighters scrambled on Tuesday to put out flames sweeping across a natural park near the popular holiday destination of Cascais, with strong winds complicating efforts to tackle the blaze.

The wildfire started at 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) in a mountainous area that is part of the Sintra-Cascais natural park, which covers around 56 square miles of land and is located west of the capital Lisbon.

Backed by 189 vehicles, more than 600 firefighters were brought in after the fire erupted. Water-bombing planes also battled the blaze but had to stop operating as the night set in.

At one of the villages affected by the fire, desperate local residents took matters into their own hands as they tried to protect their homes with buckets of water and hosepipes, as strong winds fanned the flames.

‘The fear now is that it will get to the houses,’ said 34-year-old Ines Figueiredo as smoke filled the air. ‘We try to help as much as we can with buckets (of water)… but it’s not worth much.’

Mayor of Cascais Carlos Carreiras said gusts of up to 60 kph were the biggest challenge ahead, and that a number of people had been evacuated as a precaution.

Residents used wheelchairs to help evacuate those with mobility problems.

‘They (firefighters) do what they can,’ said Miguel Medeiros, a local resident who has helped fight the flames. ‘It’s difficult for everyone.’

No houses have been damaged and no major injuries have been reported, according to authorities.

EU data shows Portugal, which has so far escaped the recent heatwave causing deaths and destruction across southern Europe, is usually one of the bloc’s worst-hit countries by wildfires.

Elsewhere in Turkey, authorities evacuated a dozen homes and a hospital as a precaution on Tuesday after a wildfire raged through a rugged forest area near the Mediterranean resort of Kemer, in Antalya province.

A hospital and a dozen homes were evacuated as a precaution in the coastal town. 

At least 10 planes, 22 helicopters and hundreds of firefighters were deployed to extinguish the fire as meteorologists warned temperatures could rise several degrees above seasonal averages. 

Five helicopters with night-vision capabilities worked through the night, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Authorities said residential areas were not under threat in the Kemer in the Mediterranean coastal province of Antalya. 

Another wildfire in the western province of Manisa, was brought under control a day after it burnt at least 14 homes.

Wildfires also broke out in the countryside around Syria’s Mediterranean port city, Latakia, with the authorities using army helicopters to try to put them out.

Extreme weather throughout July has caused havoc across the planet, with record temperatures in China, the U.S. and southern Europe sparking forest fires, water shortages and a rise in heat-related hospital admissions.

Without human-induced climate change, the events this month would have been ‘extremely rare’, according to a study by World Weather Attribution, a global team of scientists that examines the role played by climate change in extreme weather.

The heat, with temperatures topping 40 C (104 F), is well in excess of what usually attracts tourists who flock to southern European beaches.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his country was one of those on the front line against climate change, with no easy solution.

‘I will state the obvious: in the face of what the entire planet is facing, especially the Mediterranean which is a climate change hot-spot, there is no magical defence mechanism, if there was we would have implemented it,’ Mitsotakis said.

The sheriff of a Florida Panhandle county declared he is ‘beyond frustrated’ at beachgoers ignoring warnings about deadly rip tides after seven people drowned at Panama City beach limits in less than two weeks.

Tommy Ford, the sheriff of Bay County, whose district includes the popular Florida resort town of Panama City, said the deaths were ‘tragic and unnecessary’.

On Tuesday, 35-year-old former NFL player Ryan Mallett drowned after getting caught in a rip tide 50 miles west of Panama City, in Destin, Florida. 

Just three days earlier, three people drowned in a matter of hours along Panama City’s beaches: Morytt Burden, 63, of Lithia Springs, Georgia; Kimberly Moore, 39, of Lithonia, Georgia; and Donald Wixon, 68 of Canton, Michigan. Two fathers also died on Father’s Day, June 18.  And across the whole Gulf Coast, including Alabama, at least 11 people have died due to riptides.

Between 2002-2021, the treacherous currents have been responsible for 191 deaths along the Alabama and Florida Panhandle coast. That’s more than tornadoes, lightning, tropical weather systems, and flooding combined, according to National Weather Service data cited by AL.com. 

Sheriff Ford said swimmers ignoring rip tide warnings were also putting rescuers’ lives at risk.

‘I’m beyond frustrated at the situation that we have with tragic and unnecessary deaths in the Gulf,’ wrote Ford on Facebook on Monday. 

‘I have watched while deputies, firefighters and lifeguards have risked their lives to save strangers. I have seen strangers die trying to save their children and loved ones, including two fathers on fathers day.’

He said some of his staff were abused and cursed for warning people of the dangers, and fining those who ignored the laws. 

‘These same heroes, who have risked it all to save others, have been cursed and given the finger, while trying to warn visitors of the life-threatening dangers,’ Ford said. 

‘We have used the tools provided by the county commission to fine violators $500 for entering the water on double red flags. We don’t have the resources or time to cite every single person that enters the water but we do our absolute best to use it as a deterrent to entering the water. An arrest is only authorized upon a second offense unless the individual resists law enforcement.

‘We have been diligently working with the TDC, Commissioners and other partners to continually improve our response capabilities and messaging to make sure everyone knows the flag conditions. Yet, people are still dying.’

Ford said people visiting the beaches needed to take responsibility for their actions and respect the rules, which were there to keep people safe.

He urged all those enjoying the Florida and Alabama beaches to do so safely and responsibly. 

‘Government and law enforcement can only do so much in these situations,’ said Ford. 

‘Personal responsibility is the only way to ensure that no one else dies. Please make the effort to know the flag status and stay completely out of the water.’

He concluded: ‘I’m so proud of the men and women at the sheriffs office and partner agencies that are giving their absolute best to save lives. 

‘Please be responsible and don’t put your life or theirs in danger.’

Ford followed up with an aerial photo showing the power of the rip tides.

The sand had been dragged into straight lines away from the shore, in deep trenches. 

He captioned his photo: ‘Aftermath of a deadly weekend’.

‘You say you are a ‘good’ swimmer, an experienced swimmer, a competitive swimmer,’ wrote Ford. 

‘But you are no match for a rip current. 

‘These are pictures of the trenches dredged in the sand under the water as a result of the powerful rip currents this past weekend. These are so deep they are easily seen from above. There are quite a few of them. The pictures were taken yesterday from one of our helicopters.’

Joethan Phillips, beach safety chief for Gulf Shores, said many people did not understand the beach flags.

Green flags indicate low risk; yellow medium; and a single red means there is high risk, and most people should stay out of the water.

A double red flag means the water is closed, and people who go in can be fined and arrested. 

‘I think that’s a lot of it,’ Phillips told AL.com.

‘I just think a lot of people don’t know what the flags mean or even if they’re there.’

Mallett, who played in the NFL with the New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens, drowned in Destin, Florida on Tuesday.

Mallett was on vacation with his girlfriend Madison Carter, KNWA reported, and was swimming with a group of friends.

The former quarterback backed up Tom Brady for two seasons in New England, and the future Hall of Famer paid tribute to his ex-teammate late Tuesday on Instagram.

‘We lost a great man. Thank you for you everything Ryan,’ he wrote.

‘Praying for the Mallett family and all their loved ones tonight.’ 

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Mallett’s death in a statement.

‘A tourist died in an apparent drowning offshore of Gulf Shore Drive in Destin,’ it read on Tuesday evening.

‘A group of individuals were reportedly struggling offshore when a man went under.

‘He was not breathing when lifeguards found and pulled him out. Tragically lifesaving measures weren’t successful.

‘The victim is identified as 35-year old Ryan Mallett of Arkansas. We send our heartfelt sympathies to his family, friends, and loved ones in his tragic passing.’

Deltaplex News first reported the tragedy on Tuesday, before the Patriots and the NFL confirmed the news and paid tribute.

Mallett was taken from a Florida beach to the hospital after first responders were called to the area at 2.12pm. 

He was pronounced dead at the Destin emergency room.

Deltaplex News later reported that Mallett was with up to 12 people when he got caught in a riptide. 

The heatwave hack that could prove DEADLY: TikTokers are urged not to attach frozen towels to their fans to stay cool as they risk giving themselves severe electric shocks

• The hack sees TikTokers freezing towels before attaching them to their fans
• Electrical Safety First has warned that the hack could prove deadly
• It comes amid the UK heatwave, with parts of Britain set to hit 87°F (31°C) today 

By Shivali Best For Mailonline

Updated: 07:09 EDT, 12 June 2023

A deadly bacteria that kills up to 50 percent of people it infects has now been listed as an endemic along the US gulf coast.

Dr Julia Petras, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who made the warning, said Burkholderia pseudomallei was now likely lurking in soil and stagnant water across the 1,600 miles from Texas to Florida.

People infected with the bacteria suffer melioidosis, a severe condition that can trigger pneumonia and sepsis and can be fatal.

Doctors are now on alert for the disease, which can initially be misdiagnosed as another infection. 

The CDC declaration comes less than a year after it was detected in the US for the first time in soil from the Mississippi coast.

 Dr Petras said: ‘It’s estimated that there’s probably 160,000 cases a year around the world and 80,000 deaths.

‘This is one of those diseases that is also called the great mimicker because it can look like a lot of different things.

‘It’s greatly under-reported and under-diagnosed and under-recognized — we often like to say that it’s been the neglected tropical disease.’

The bacteria — also known as B. psuedomallei — is native to tropical areas in South East Asia and northern Australia.

But the CDC is now warning it has been identified in the Gulf states: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

In these areas, the agency warns it may be lurking in topsoil or muddy fresh- or brackish water.

People can become infected after coming into contact with the water or soil — including through open wounds — or ingesting it.

It is unclear how the pathogen arrived in the United States, although this may have traveled by infected travelers. 

The deadly bacteria has been present in Puerto Rico since 1982, according to an Oxford University-backed study.

About 12 Americans are struck down by the bacteria every year, estimates suggest, although they are normally linked to foreign travel.

This is thought to be a major underestimate because many cases are misdiagnosed as other conditions.

Four cases were recorded in the US — including two deaths — in 2021, with cases later linked to a contaminated aromatherapy spray imported from India.

Another two were detected in 2020 and 2022 in unrelated individuals who lived near each other in Mississippi.

This prompted the CDC to take soil and water samples from within and around the patients’ homes, revealing the presence of the bacteria B. pseudomallei. Both patients recovered from the infection.

Dr Petras, who is an epidemic intelligence service officer, said: ‘It is an environmental organism that lives naturally in the soil, and typically freshwater, in certain areas around the world — mostly subtropical and tropical climates.

‘A lot of patients will have pneumonia with sepsis, and or sepsis, which is associated with higher mortality and worse outcomes.’

She added: ‘We have antibiotics that work. 

‘What I’m talking about is IV antibiotics for at least two weeks, followed by three to six months of oral antibiotics.

‘It’s an extensive treatment, but if you’ve finished the full course and you’re diagnosed early, which is the really key thing, your outcome is probably going to be quite good.’

Humans can become infected with the bacteria via contact with contaminated soil and muddy water, particularly if they have an open wound.

In rare cases, it can also be transmitted between humans — although this has only been reported via sexual contact and during pregnancy.

In most cases, the bacteria do not trigger symptoms because the immune system can to fight it off.

But when an infection begins, patients may suffer from symptoms including joint pain, fever and headaches in the early stages.

This can then progress to melioidosis, with the CDC warning that between 10 and 50 percent of cases are fatal.

Individuals who live along the gulf coast and have conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease and chronic lung disease are particularly at risk.