As Western Europe continues to suffer a record-breaking heatwave, Spain and Portugal have reported at least 1,169 heat-related deaths, according to each country’s ministry of health.
At least 510 people died from heat-related issues in Spain between 10-18 July, the country’s health ministry said. Of those deaths, 273 were recorded on Friday, officials said. Another 659 heat-related deaths were recorded in Portugal between 7-17 July, local officials there said.
Thousands of firefighters continue trying to contain forest fires Spain, Portugal and France that have destroyed thousands of acres of land. The fires have forced thousands of people to evacuate to safety, as extreme heat grips Europe.
Firefighters in Spain are still fighting 30 active fires, mostly in Castilla y León, Galicia, La Rioja, Extremadura, Catalonia and Andalusia, the Interior Ministry and Catalan authorities said.
One of the worst wildfires took place in the Sierra de Mijas area of the Málaga province (Andalusia), destroying 2,000 hectares of forest and leading to the evacuation of 2,700 since it started last Friday. The blaze has now been declared under control.
Two people have died (a firefighter and a shepherd) in the wildfire in Zamora (Castilla y León) and 6,000 have been forced to leave their homes in 32 different municipalities. The fire is still active and more than 10,000 hectares of land have been destroyed in just two days.
Due to the wildfire in Pont de Vilomara in the Barcelona province (Catalonia), 200 residents have been evacuated from their homes and a further 4,500 have been told not to leave their homes. The fire was said to be ‘stabilised’ on Monday evening.
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