Temperatures in parts of Europe reached around 40 degrees Celsius as a record heatwave continues to cause human casualties, transport difficulties, energy problems and damage to agriculture, Reuters reports, News.bg reports.
The French public health agency has registered around 1,000 deaths above the usual level during the heatwave that began on June 20. Most of the victims are elderly people, and authorities expect the number to be more precise after processing data from hospitals, nursing homes and private homes.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that about 150 million people are currently exposed to extreme heat, warning that such events are increasingly becoming annual due to climate change.
According to scientific analyses, the current heat wave would be “virtually impossible“ without the influence of human activity on the climate, with extreme night temperatures significantly more likely compared to two decades ago.
The heatwave affected a number of countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland. In Germany, rail services were limited and tram services were suspended in Leipzig due to technical problems related to high temperatures.
In the energy sector, Hungary reduced the capacity of the Paks nuclear power plant due to high temperatures in the Danube River, used to cool the reactors.
In Italy, the low level of the Po River poses a risk of seawater entering the river, threatening agriculture and ecosystems in the delta. Meanwhile, Italian rescue services are searching for the husband of the Minister for Family and Equal Opportunities, who went missing after swimming in Lake Vico near Rome.
Meteorologists are predicting a gradual cooling in parts of Western Europe as the heat wave shifts to Central Europe and the Balkans. In France, temperatures are already starting to drop, but storms have left tens of thousands of households without power.