Wildfires raging across Europe claimed lives of 18 migrants

Wildfires raging across Europe claimed lives of 18 migrants

Web Desk
August 23, 2023

Wildfires raging across Europe claimed lives of 18 migrants

The bodies of 18 individuals, identified by fire brigade officials as migrants, have been discovered amidst raging wildfires in Greece, Europe.

An additional fatality was reported near Athens on the previous day.

Greece is currently grappling with a barrage of 65 wildfires, while over 20 countries in the region are under heat warnings due to unprecedented temperatures.

Yiannis Artopios, a representative of the Greek fire brigade, revealed that around 65 wildfires have erupted in Greece in recent days, necessitating the deployment of hundreds of firefighters.

In the northeast town of Alexandroupolis, severe wildfires have emerged, leading to evacuations and even the relocation of hospital patients.

An Alexandroupolis Hospital Nurse, Nikos Gioktsidis, likened the situation to war, stating, “I’ve been working for 27 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s like war conditions, really.”

To address this crisis, the European Union has dispatched firefighting assistance from Cyprus and Romania to aid Greece in managing the situation.

The European Union’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service has documented that over 8,500 hectares have been consumed by fires as of Monday.

The gravity of the situation is underscored by Yiannis Artopios’ declaration that Greece is facing a “Category 5” state of emergency due to the combination of high temperatures and strong winds.

This year, Greece has experienced a devastating wildfire season, witnessing its most severe recorded fires in July since at least 2003.

The unrelenting fires, coupled with the ongoing heatwave, have thrust Greece and several other European nations into a challenging battle against the forces of nature.

The Blaze Spreads Across Europe Uncontrolled wildfires are ravaging Spain’s Canary Islands, prompting the evacuation of 12,000 residents.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez intends to designate the affected regions as “disaster zones” once the fires are brought under control.

While Greece and Spain grapple with the fires, other European nations are also contending with unprecedented temperatures. Heat alerts span 21 countries, with six under the highest red heat warnings, as reported by MeteoAlarm, a European weather network.

France’s Fiery Challenge France, notably impacted, is experiencing its most intense heatwave of 2023, defying seasonal norms. Four French departments have received “red-level” heatwave alerts.

Intense Heat in Italy Italian cities are combating soaring temperatures, with Savona recording an all-time high of 39.1°C on Monday. Switzerland faces a similar ordeal, encountering a record-breaking freezing level at 5,298 meters.

Concerns for Swiss Glaciers Persistent high temperatures raise concerns about the condition of Swiss glaciers, following a 6% volume loss last year.

The ongoing European heatwave is forecasted to persist until Wednesday before a cooling trend sets in.

Scientists emphasize that human-caused climate change is driving these extreme weather events, supported by record-breaking global temperatures in July 2023 and the influence of Mediterranean and US heatwaves.

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