Heatwave warning as thousands could perish in 40C temperatures

A heatwave spreading across southern Europe could potentially be fatal to thousands of people.

Temperatures in Brit holiday hotspots like Italy and Spain have topped 40C with health experts calling on people to take extra precautions in the heat.

Last year, research by ISGlobal estimated the summer's record-breaking heat was responsible for more than 61,000 deaths across Europe between 30 May and 4 September 2022.

READ MORE: 'Hell on Earth' 52C heatwave sees world entering 'unchartered territory', experts warn

And with the mercury also set to soar this year, even more fatalities could be recorded as a result of the climate.

Joan Ballester Claramunt, first author of the study and researcher at ISGlobal, said last year: "The temperatures recorded in the summer of 2022 cannot be considered exceptional, in the sense that they could have been predicted by following the temperature series of previous years, and that they show that warming has accelerated over the last decade.

"The fact that more than 61,600 people in Europe died of heat stress in the summer of 2022, even though, unlike in [the heatwave of] 2003, many countries already had active prevention plans in place, suggests that the adaptation strategies currently available may still be insufficient."

Italy is set to bear the brunt of the hot weather this year, and also suffered the highest number of heat-related deaths last summer – an estimated 18,010.

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The country recorded a record temperature of 48.8C in Floridia, Sicily, back in 2021, but it is thought this summer could see similarly worrying heat.

"We know that there will be temperatures above 40C or 45C," said president of the Italian Meteorological Society, Professor Luca Mercalli.

"We could get close to the record. Either way, the levels will be very high."

Other parts of southern Europe will also be feeling the heat with temperatures expected to remain high in southern Spain and Greece.

One unnamed British holidaymaker reportedly collapsed in front of the Colosseum in Rome last Tuesday (July 11) before she was given bottles of water as the temperature topped 36C.

And now officials have issued warnings that the extreme temperatures could pose a risk to human life, and have urged holidaymakers to take precautions.

The Red Cross is now calling on people to check on the most vulnerable, including children and the elderly, as temperatures continue to climb.

The non-profit also urged travellers to make sure to stay hydrated and be wary of signs of heatstroke, which can include vomiting and fainting.

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