Extreme heatwave kills 5 in Italy and Spain

By Senhan Bolelli and Yusuf Ozcan

MADRID (AA) - The extreme heatwave besieging central and southern Europe has claimed five lives since Thursday, according to local officials.

The heatwave rising from northern Africa made temperatures break the Mercury with temperatures as high as 40-43 C (104-109 F).

Over the last 24 hours, three people in Italy and two in Spain lost their lives, according to state officials.

In addition, in France, four children who entered pools to cool down were drowned, announced Health Minister Agnes Buzyn. Some 4,000 schools called off classes, according to Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.

Ten children in the southern Italian city of Lecco age 12-15 were hospitalized due to heatstroke.

The heatwave also caused a fire around the city of Tarragona in Catalonia, eastern Spain, with the flames engulfing 6,000 hectares of forests and farmland.

Work to extinguish the fire is ongoing, with Spanish soldiers also supporting the efforts.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet.