China issues first ever heat alert as southeast swelters

One of the worst heatwaves in recorded Chinese history is roasting eastern and southern parts of the country, prompting the issuing of the first "level-two" national emergency alert for inclement weather.

More than 10 people died from heat effects in Shanghai alone as the commercial hub saw its hottest July in at least 140 years, Xinhua reported, citing a local health official.

With 24 days of temperatures over 35 degrees, it was the city's hottest July since 1873, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau. Shanghai was not one of the cities to top 40 degrees on Tuesday, but the temperature hit an all-time high of 40.6 degrees on Friday.

"It should be a record since Shanghai started recording weather conditions," the official, Wu Rui , told Xinhua.

Temperatures in parts of Zhejiang , Hunan and Sichuan provinces reached 40 degrees yesterday, and those in parts of Jiangsu , Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei and Chongqing would reach the same level today, according to the China Meteorological Administration. The agency said 43 southern cities and counties had seen temperatures exceed 40 degrees in July.

The level-two warning - the highest for heat-related weather conditions - applies to nine provinces and municipalities: Anhui , Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Zhejiang, Jiangxi , Fujian , Shanghai and Chongqing.