NBC NEWS
Parts of Asia and southern Europe braced for scorching temperatures and violent storms Tuesday as world weather experts warned of increased risk of deaths caused by extreme weather across the globe.
“Temperatures in North America, Asia, and across North Africa and the Mediterranean will be above 40° C (104° F) for a prolonged number of days this week as the heatwave intensifies,” the World Meteorological Organization said.
Parts of Spain, Italy and Greece were in “very extreme danger” of fires, the European Union’s emergency management service said in a tweet.
The Italian island of Sardinia could see highs of more than 47 Celsius (116 Fahrenheit). Temperatures could hit 104 degrees F in other Italian cities.
Rome braced for temperatures as high as 107 degrees, with officials distributing bottled water and guiding tourists to fountains.
“We helped at least 11 people this morning who felt unwell because of the heat, some fainted, other needed to get in the shade and take a break,” Giuseppe Napolitano, head of the Civil Protection Agency in Rome, told NBC News.
The heat in Spain intensified during the day, and wildfires burned uncontrollably on the Canary Island of La Palma, forcing more than 4,000 residents to be evacuated.
Blazes were also intensified near the Greek capital of Athens, forcing residents to flee their homes and prompting evacuation of hundreds of children from a summer camp.
The blaze broke out in the village of Kouvaras, about 17 miles from Athens, fanned by the erratic winds, a Greek fire service official said, adding 200 firefighters with over a dozen aircrafts were trying to control the flames.
In Switzerland too, almost 150 emergency responders scrambled to douse flames as a forest wildfire spread with authorities ordering the evacuation of several mountain villages, the police said in a briefing on Monday.
