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With the beginning of the summer month in the Northern Hemisphere, heat waves increase, and the frequency of floods and hurricanes escalates. Within this framework, a huge forest fire broke out in several villages in southeastern Turkey yesterday, killing at least 11 people, the authorities announced. The fire broke out at night, and by morning the fire left vast areas of charred land in several areas of Diyarbakir and Mardin provinces.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca wrote on the X platform, “11 people lost their lives,” after five deaths were previously announced.
He also confirmed that 78 other people were injured as a result of the fires, some of whom were taken to hospital, noting that five of them are in intensive care.
Turkey has witnessed 74 forest fires so far this year, destroying 12,910 hectares (31,900 acres) of land, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
Meanwhile, China witnessed severe weather phenomena, as floods struck the southern regions, while a heat wave swept the northern regions. Heavy rains in Guangdong Province caused floods and landslides. Some areas recorded unprecedented floods.
The day before yesterday, the authorities announced the killing of nine people in the vicinity of the city of Mego, before the death toll rose to 38 dead by mid-Friday.
The state television network CCTV said: “Due to the enormity of the disaster… searching for and rescuing trapped people is a difficult task that requires a long time.”
More than 55,000 people were affected by the effects of the rain, according to television, while more than 2,200 homes and about 4,700 roads collapsed. The disaster damaged hundreds of energy facilities and water pipelines, in addition to about 7,000 hectares of crops, and direct economic losses as a result of the floods are estimated at 5.85 billion yuan ($805.7 million).
In West Africa, heavy rains in Niger resulted in serious floods that killed 21 people and affected 6,000 others since the end of last May, according to what officials announced the day before yesterday.
Colonel Boubacar Baku, Director General of Civil Protection in Niger, said in a statement on public television: “As of June 20, we have in all parts of the country 5,926 victims and 21 deaths, including 8 due to drowning and 13 due to the collapse of houses,” adding that it had been recorded. 26 injuries and the death of about 4,000 heads of livestock due to the floods, noting that the Maradi region (central south) was the most affected, with 14 dead and 2,404 afflicted.
According to the Niger Meteorological Service, these heavy rains are due to climate change that has been affecting Niger for years.
In southern Europe, specifically in Greece, 45 forest fires were recorded in Greece on Friday, for the third day in a row, which witnessed strong winds that led to preventive evacuations in a number of villages, especially in the Peloponnese (south), according to what firefighters reported, and the Mediterranean country witnessed the first A heat wave last week, with temperatures reaching more than 44 degrees Celsius.
At least four large fires broke out in the Peloponnese Peninsula, especially near the city of Megalopolis in Arcadia and in the provinces of Argolida, Messinia and Achaia, located between 150 and 250 kilometers southwest of Athens.
Firefighting spokesman Vassilis Fathrakogiannis said during a press conference, “The (climatic) conditions are very difficult, as the wind speed in some areas on Friday exceeded 95 kilometers per hour, which makes it difficult for the pilots” of water bombers to deal with them.
In the Western Hemisphere, Mexico has recorded 155 deaths related to high temperatures since last March, including 30 cases last week alone, according to what the Mexican government announced. At least 2,567 people have suffered from health problems related to high temperatures since March 17, according to the weekly report of the Ministry of Health, noting that the heat season continues until October 5.
10 Mexican cities broke May temperature records, with the highest temperature ever recorded in Mexico City on May 25.
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