A four-year-old Romanian boy has died of heatstroke in Italy after being found unconscious in his family's car in Sardinia. The unnamed child was airlifted to a Rome hospital but died from irreversible brain damage, marking a tragic human cost of Europe's deadly heatwave.
Record-breaking temperatures have been confirmed at four French weather stations, with Bordeaux hitting 41.6°C. Meteo France said all-time records were also broken at meteorological stations in Bergerac, Cognac and Saint Girons as the country's second major heatwave this summer intensifies.
Mass evacuations across continent
More than 2,000 people have been evacuated in Turkey's Canakkale province, with 77 hospitalised for smoke inhalation as wildfires spread around the tourist village of Guzelyali. Turkish authorities deployed over 760 firefighters, 10 aircraft and nine helicopters to battle the flames that destroyed several homes and vehicles.
Hundreds of residents were evacuated from their homes across the Balkans as firefighters battled blazes in Albania, Montenegro and Croatia. In Albania alone, nearly 40 fires flared up within 24 hours, prompting the deployment of 800 troops and military aircraft from surrounding countries, according to the defence ministry.
Health warnings at highest level
Italy's health ministry has issued red alerts for 16 cities by Wednesday, including Bologna and Florence, as temperatures continue to soar. Around 190 firefighters and army personnel are tackling a wildfire on Mount Vesuvius that forced the closure of the national park to tourists, with dramatic footage showing flames engulfing the volcano near Naples.
France placed 12 departments on red alert - the country's highest heat warning - with the heatwave forecast to last until August 19 or 20. The extreme conditions follow wet spring weather that allowed vegetation growth before being dried by intense heat and wind, creating perfect wildfire conditions.
Crisis spreads to Spain and Portugal
Spanish firefighters struggled to contain a wildfire that damaged the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Las Medulas Roman mining site, forcing 700 residents to evacuate. Four people including two firefighters suffered minor injuries as temperatures neared 40°C across much of the country, with officials estimating that some fires were deliberately started.
Portugal's firefighters are battling three large wildfires in the centre and north of the country, with the largest near Trancoso burning since August 9. More than 650 firefighters backed by six aircraft are working to contain the blaze as the extreme conditions continue across the Iberian Peninsula.
Sources used: "PA Media", "Daily Mail", "Express" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
