UPDATE - Europe remains on alert as record-breaking heat wave sweeps continent

UPDATE WITH LATEST DETAILS

By Ilayda Cakirtekin and Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - European countries such as France, Spain and Italy on Wednesday continue to suffer under a record-breaking heat wave, facing extreme temperatures, storms, fires, and even deaths.

A total of 38 Spanish provinces will be on heat, storm, and heat wave warnings on Wednesday, with seven autonomous communities expected to be on orange alert as temperatures exceed 40C (104F) in certain regions of the country, according to Spanish daily El Mundo.

On Tuesday, two people died and 20,000 were forced into lockdown due to a fire that burned 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres) in Catalonia, where an orange alert remains in effect.

The French storm observatory said on X that 95% of the country has exceeded the 35C (95F) threshold for extreme heat, while four departments are on red and 55 on orange alert, according to the weather service Meteo France.

Catherine Vautrin, France’s health minister, also pointed to a "serious increase" in emergency medical service activity, underlining that it is still "too early" to assess the impact of the heat wave, according to broadcaster BFM TV.

One elderly person and a homeless man in the French cities of Grenoble and Besancon were found dead amid high temperatures on Tuesday.

The Lyons State Forest in the Eure department of France was partially closed after storms on June 25 damaged 3,500 hectares of woodland, according to the National Forestry Office.

In Italy, where 18 cities have been on red alert since Tuesday, a 53-year-old woman died and a worker went into a coma due to high temperatures.

In Sardinia, a 75-year-old man collapsed and died in Budoni, while a 60-year-old man suffered a fatal illness at Lu Impostu beach near San Teodoro despite emergency response efforts, including the use of a rescue helicopter.

Emergency rooms across the country have seen a surge in admissions of up to 20%, according to Italy’s ANSA news agency.

Belgium also expects high temperatures of 33-38C (91.4-100.4F) in certain provinces, with four remaining on orange alert.

In the UK, the Met Office recorded 33.6C in Frittenden, southeast England, on Tuesday, as the country faces increasingly frequent temperature records.

The UK Health Security Agency extended its amber alert across much of England and warned of possible disruptions to public services.

According to the Met Office, this June was the second hottest on record in the UK, following 2023.