Europe swelters in latest wave of extreme heat

Millions of people across Europe, including in France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom are sweltering through another wave of extreme temperatures as the continent’s latest heatwave intensifies.

Weather agencies recorded temperatures of above 35C (95F) in several European countries on Thursday, where more than 135 million people had been forecast to endure more scorching weather.

The UK recorded its hottest day of the year as the temperature in west London soared to 38.1C (100.5F), surpassing the previous high of 38C (100.4F) in June.

Europe is the planet’s fastest-warming continent and in some places, is ill-equipped to deal with hot weather.

A series of heatwaves and drought have fuelled a summer of wildfires and been linked to thousands of deaths so far.

Scientists blame ever hotter and more frequent heatwaves on climate change caused by human activity.

In Britain, nurses have collapsed from heat exhaustion while working in hospitals that lack adequate cooling, the Royal College of Nursing said on Thursday.

“The heat has been unbearable here, honestly,” pharmacist Bailey Williamson told the AFP news agency. Patients in hospital were also hard-hit, said NHS worker Williamson.