Extreme heat in western Europe: hundreds of victims

Southwestern Europe is experiencing record heat. In Portugal, the thermometer rose to 47 degrees. The heatwave is expected to reach northwest France and the UK in the coming days. The British government is introducing a red alert for the first time due to extremely hot weather.

The Portuguese authorities reported that 238 people died due to the heat during the week. Among them is the pilot of a firefighting plane that crashed near the Spanish border. In Spain, 360 people have died. Here, Malaga and its environs became the center of fires, about 3,000 residents were evacuated.

In France, the most difficult situation is in the Gironde. More than 12,000 people have been evacuated here. 10,000 hectares of forest burned out. About a thousand firefighters are fighting the fire. The situation is expected to worsen, with fires spreading northward along the Atlantic coast.

An extremely dangerous situation has developed in the Alps. In the Italian Dolomites, 11 climbers died as a result of a glacier collapse. Avalanches have also become more frequent on Mont Blanc.

Extreme heat in western Africa. Nearly 1,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed in Morocco and at least one person has died. About 1000 houses were evacuated.