WEB DESK
Southwest Europe continues to battle summer heatwave that has triggered devastating forest fires. In Portugal, Spain and France, thousands of firefighters are busy dousing wildfires as the heatwave is showing no sign of easing. Portugese authorities say, at least 238 people have died from the heat over the past week in the country.
In northern Portugal, a pilot died when his waterbombing plane crashed in the Foz Coa area, near the Spanish border.
In Spain, at least 360 people died due to the heatwave with temperatures far above 40 degrees Celsius according to a state -run news agency. Over 12,000 people have been evacuated from fire ravaged areas of France’s south-western Gironde region. France has placed 22 more regional departments mostly along its Atlantic coast on high orange alert.
In the United Kingdom, government ministers held crisis talks after the state meteorological agency issued a first-ever red warning for extreme heat, cautioning there is a risk to life.
In Greece, the civil defence dousing flames raging on the Mediterranean island of Crete, while Morocco is also battling a deadly forest fire in its northern mountains.
It is the second heatwave engulfing parts of southwest Europe in weeks. Scientists blame climate change and predict more frequent and intense episodes of extreme weather.