9 Dead in Europe From Hot and Fire

Five people died in Italy from extreme temperatures that exceeded 40 degrees. This Tuesday, two older men aged 60 and 75 lost their lives in Sardinia. In 20 cities in Italy, they have been declared red zones.

In France, the Ministry of Health reported that two people died after hot-related diseases these days, adding that “over 300 persons were helped after emergency calls”.

High temperatures affected the activation of fires in Spain, causing the deaths of two people aged 32 and 45 in the Catalonian region. Some 20 thousand residents were asked to stay indoors for several hours until the widespread fire was brought under control. Authorities said the fire burned 6,500 hectares of agricultural land.

Last June was the hottest month in history, reaching peak temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius in Spain and Portugal.

Europe is the fastest warming continent, increasing by twice the global average, according to the EU Climate Change Service Copernicus. This trend is causing high temperatures to appear earlier in the year and last longer in the autumn months.

According to Swiss Re, as many as 480,000 people worldwide lose their lives from extreme weather heat each year, this figure exceeds the total number of victims from floods, earthquakes and hurricanes./Periscopi/