Greek heatwave peaks at 45 degrees
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Greek heatwave peaks at 45 degrees*
25 Jul 2007 19:02:16 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Renee Maltezou
ATHENS, July 25 (Reuters) - A heatwave and brush fires in Greece killed
two people on Wednesday and sent dozens to hospital as temperatures
soared to 45 degrees Celsius (113.00F) in some areas.
A 60-year-old man died as he tried to save his house from a forest fire
which was burning his village and six other places in the Peloponnese
region, police said.
"The man was found dead close to his house, while there were bad burns
on his body", police said.
An elderly woman died earlier on Wednesday in hospital in northern
Greece from heatstroke.
The health ministry said at least 15 people were rushed to hospital and
treated for heatstroke during the last 24 hours. A 75-year-old man had
died on the island of Corfu on Tuesday.
Temperatures remained above 40 degrees for a sixth straight day as
firefighters across Greece battled dozens of blazes.
A firefighter was slightly injured fighting a fire on the island of
Kefallonia.
The health ministry has activated an emergency plan for the second time
in a month, as temperatures soared.
Greece experienced another long heatwave in late June that killed at
least 10 people and sent 250 others to hospital.
Increased energy consumption caused power outages in both Athens and the
northern city of Thessaloniki, as power cuts in Montenegro, Kosovo and
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia influenced the operation of
the electricity utility (PPC), Greek Development Ministry said.
Temperatures are expected to drop by about four degrees on Thursday.
Beaches around the capital were crowded from early in the morning while
the city centre was all but deserted during the scorching mid-day heat
with temperatures hitting 45 degrees.
Temperatures on the island of Cyprus also rose above 40 degrees Celsius
in the capital Nicosia and high humidity levels added to general
discomfort. (Additional reporting by Michele Kambas in Nicosia)