It has been reported that 1027 people have died in Spain and Portugal due to the unprecedented heat wave sweeping across Europe.
In Portugal alone, 238 people have died in the past week due to unprecedented heat. The country’s health ministry said most of the victims were the elderly, who were particularly vulnerable to the scorching sun.
Temperatures neared 50°C in Pinhao on Thursday. A red alert was issued for five regions on Friday.
Meanwhile, thousands of residents and tourists have been evacuated as wildfires have continued to spread in Portugal, Spain, France and Croatia for the past 10 days due to a heat wave.
Also, more than 3,000 firefighters are battling to douse the fire. This year alone, around 30,000 hectares of land have been destroyed by forest fires.
Meanwhile, Portugal declared a state of national alert on Monday due to wildfires. Moreover, this forest fire is said to be the worst in decades.
In the Gironde region of France, more than 2,700 hectares have been burned so far. 500 residents have been safely evacuated from the town of Landiras. In addition, about 6,000 people were evacuated from camps on the Atlantic coast.
