More than 1,000 dead in Portugal heatwave; Wildfires rage in UK
Portuguese authorities say the country has recorded more than 1,000 deaths in the current severe heatwave in Europe.
Most of the victims were elderly. The death toll is expected to rise depending on how authorities deal with the impact of climate change due to rising temperatures.
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| A man's cooling measures in the heatwave in Europe. Photo: Europa Press |
Speaking to reporters, Carlos Antunes, a researcher at the University of Lisbon, said: “Data from the Portuguese health agency shows that the number of deaths due to heat waves is increasing, especially among the elderly, a sharp increase compared to the whole of last year. With climate change, the number of deaths due to heat waves will increase. Therefore, we must implement measures to improve public health, thereby minimizing the impact.”
Over the past week, temperatures in Portugal have been consistently above 40 degrees Celsius. Although temperatures have dropped in the past few days, they are still high by annual standards.
Along with Portugal, many other European countries such as the UK, France, Spain, Germany, etc. are also experiencing severe heat waves, causing widespread forest fires.
Meanwhile, wildfires raged across Britain as families were forced to evacuate their homes as efforts to extinguish the blazes proved futile in hot weather with temperatures hitting a record 40.3C.
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