- Deadly Wildfires Rage Across Mediterranean
- Greece Battles Sweltering Heat and Blaze
- Wildfires Strike Croatia, Italy, and Algeria
Wednesday was expected to be swelteringly hot in Greece as personnel battled deadly wildfires that have also ravaged nations around the Mediterranean.
As Greek authorities battle blazes on three main fronts, including the tourist islands of Rhodes and Corfu, thousands of people have been evacuated.
Fires have also broken out in Croatia and Italy, and flames killed scores of people in Algeria earlier this week, as scorching temperatures have left landscapes tinder-dry.
This week, scientists from the World Weather Attribution group stated that the heatwaves that have affected parts of Europe and North America this month would have been nearly unthinkable without climate change caused by humans.
The national meteorological office predicts 43–45 degrees Celsius in the centre and south of Greece.
According to specialists, Greece is currently experiencing one of the longest summer heatwaves in recent memory.
Wednesday, the civil protection ministry issued a red alert for six of the country’s thirteen regions.
Wildfires damaged Rhodes, Corfu, and Evia, tourist islands.
On Evia, where two water bomber pilots died on Tuesday, at least 100 firefighters battled the flames. A third victim’s corpse was also discovered on Evia.
Infernos encircling the Mediterranean
Authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of people, including many tourists, from fire-ravaged areas in Greece.
The intense climate in Greece has also affected a significant portion of southern Europe and northern Africa.
At least 34 people have perished in Algeria as a result of wildfires ravaging residential areas and forcing mass evacuations.
TV footage showed burnt cars, wrecked shops, and smouldering scrubland as eyewitnesses described “like a blowtorch” flame walls.
Sicily firefighters battled wildfires overnight, including one that closed Palermo airport on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday, Italy’s civil protection agency reported “extensive fires” in the south.
A 16-year-old girl camping in the north was one of two individuals slain by falling trees during violent storms.
Authorities reported on Wednesday that dozens of firefighters were battling a wildfire near the picturesque southern city of Dubrovnik in Croatia, with water-bombing aircraft deployed to help contain the blaze.
Tuesday, approximately 130 firefighters worked to contain the flames that had been dispersed by strong winds.
According to local media, the fire also caused landmines to detonate in the vicinity.
During the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Dubrovnik was besieged and bombarded by Serb forces, resulting in damage to several areas of the city and contamination of large portions of its outskirts by landmines.
