Thursday, July 21, 2022

The heat that kills: 1,900 deaths in Spain and Portugal, dozens, hundreds in France and UK

 

 1a. Spain’s Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday that 679 people had lost their lives in the first eight days (July 10-17) of the second heatwave that hit the country this summer.



The Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) said that 169 deaths occurred on July 17 alone, according to Xinhua. According to the institute, 430 of the 679 victims were aged 85 or over, 159 were between 75 and 84 years of age and 58 were between 65 and 74 years.

The second heatwave of the summer ended with slightly lower temperatures on Tuesday, but this promises to be a brief respite, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius again in much of the country before the weekend.

The first heatwave of 2022 in Spain lasted from June 11 to June 17 and caused 829 deaths, the institute said. Accordingly, a total of 1,508 people have died in the country this summer due to the excessive heat, Xinhua reported.
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1b. 10 major incidents declared by fire services across the UK on Tuesday, infrastructure failures, and excess deaths over the heatwave estimated at about 1,000.[theguardian.com]
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2. Battered by heavy winds, firefighters in Greece struggled to contain new fires Wednesday around the capital of Athens while other countries in southern Europe took stock of the damage caused during the latest severe heat wave and prepared for the return of scorching temperatures. Two new fires broke out west of Athens following a round-the-clock effort to halt a blaze in the outskirts of the city that had swept through inhabited areas and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents.
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3. Sweden’s meteorological department warns country to brace for heatwave.

A record-breaking heatwave in Europe is moving north toward Sweden and extremely high temperatures are expected across the country this week, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute has warned.

With temperatures in Sweden expected to reach up to 35C (95F) in the coming days, the meteorological department said water shortages and the risk of wildfires are extremely high.

Authorities recommend staying hydrated to beat the heat and suggest cold showers and loose clothes as ways to keep cool.

Temperatures are at record highs in many countries across Europe, while Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Greece and Croatia have been battling wildfires. Experts say the extreme weather is linked to climate change.

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