Madrid: A severe heatwave is sweeping across Europe, resulting in numerous deaths and prompting several governments to issue urgent warnings. Spain's daily death monitoring system has revealed that the extreme heat in Spain is estimated to have caused 1,029 deaths in June, the highest monthly heat-related death toll since the same month in 2015. The death toll includes those who died directly from heatstroke, as well as patients whose pre-existing medical conditions worsened due to the extreme heat.
According to Thai News Agency, the Spanish National Meteorological Office stated that June was the second hottest June in the country's history, with average temperatures 3.2 degrees Celsius higher than normal. Meanwhile, in Portugal, authorities raised their weather alert level to the highest level on Monday to cope with the approaching heatwave, along with intensifying measures to prevent wildfires and expanding aid to vulnerable groups.
Portuguese Interior Minister Luis Neves announced via the Lusa news agency on Wednesday that temperatures could reach 47 degrees Celsius in the coming days, urging the public to exercise extreme caution and avoid behaviors that could cause fires. Furthermore, the Portuguese Minister of Interior requested cooperation in prohibiting activities that could ignite fires, including burning agricultural waste, open burning, barbecuing, and using machinery that can generate sparks. He also issued a warning against discarding cigarette butts and parking vehicles in areas with dry grass.