Greek Heatwave Peaks at 45 Degrees
Date: 26-Jul-07
Country: GREECE
Author: Renee Maltezou
A 60-year-old man died as he tried to save his house from a forest fire which was burning his village and six other places in the Peloponnese region, police said.
"The man was found dead close to his house, while there were bad burns on his body", police said.
An elderly woman died earlier on Wednesday in hospital in northern Greece from heatstroke.
The health ministry said at least 15 people were rushed to hospital and treated for heatstroke during the last 24 hours. A 75-year-old man had died on the island of Corfu on Tuesday.
Temperatures remained above 40 degrees for a sixth straight day as firefighters across Greece battled dozens of blazes.
A firefighter was slightly injured fighting a fire on the island of Kefallonia.
The health ministry has activated an emergency plan for the second time in a month, as temperatures soared.
Greece experienced another long heatwave in late June that killed at least 10 people and sent 250 others to hospital.
Increased energy consumption caused power outages in both Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki, as power cuts in Montenegro, Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia influenced the operation of the electricity utility (PPC), Greek Development Ministry said.
Temperatures are expected to drop by about four degrees on Thursday.
Beaches around the capital were crowded from early in the morning while the city centre was all but deserted during the scorching mid-day heat with temperatures hitting 45 degrees.
Temperatures on the island of Cyprus also rose above 40 degrees Celsius in the capital Nicosia and high humidity levels added to general discomfort.
(Additional reporting by Michele Kambas in Nicosia)
