Heatwave in Spain, Portugal claims at least 322 lives

By Alyssa McMurtry

MADRID (AA) - Excess temperatures brought on by the heatwave that continues to wash over Spain and Portugal have killed at least 322 people.

High temperatures in the first three days of the heatwave in Spain, which officially began on Sunday, killed 84 people, according to figures from the Carlos III Health Institute released on Friday.

The Portuguese Health Ministry reported 238 heat-induced deaths in the country on July 7-13.

Throughout the week, the mercury only kept rising on the Iberian Peninsula, contributing to fears that the final number of deaths would be significantly higher.

On Thursday, it reached 47 degrees Celcius (116.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in the town of Pinhao -- the hottest ever registered in Portugal in July.

The scorching temperatures continue and Spain's public meteorological agency does not expect the heatwave to dissipate until Monday.

In June, when one of the earliest heatwaves in recent Spanish history gripped the nation, the health institute estimates that 830 died due to the high temperatures.

The heat is also taking its toll on Spain's forests, with 32 active wildfires burning as of Friday, including 15 yet to be contained. Extremadura, a region bordering Portugal, has been the hardest hit so far, with two massive fires scorching at least 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres).

Portuguese firefighters are also battling a string of forest fires. This week, almost 190 people have been injured by blazes and 865 evacuated from their homes.

Firefighters also discovered the charred body of one woman in the northwestern Murtosa municipality on Tuesday evening.