Heat | The extreme heat is testing several continents – tens of thousands of heat strokes in India

To have started summer heat waves have already caused problems widely across the northern hemisphere, news agencies report.

For example, the earliest heat wave in its history was measured in Greece last week, when temperatures of 44 degrees were measured in some places. Last winter was the warmest in the recorded history of Greece.

An exceptionally difficult wildfire season is expected in Greece this year. At least 45 wildfires have already started in the country. Strong winds, up to more than 25 meters per second, accelerate the spread of fires.

The first wildfire-related death was reported in Greece on Friday, when a 55-year-old man died while helping rescuers in the village of Myrtia in the Peloponnese.

Also other parts of the Balkan region have experienced heat of over 40 degrees, as the winds have blown hot air from Africa into the region.

Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Croatia experienced widespread power outages on Friday. For example, in Split, Croatia, traffic stopped completely when traffic lights stopped working in 40 degree heat.

In Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, among other things, the water pumps stopped. Minister of State of Emergency of Montenegro by Saša Mujović according to the report, the reason was not only the heat itself, but also the increased energy consumption due to the heat.

Fires have also been observed in the electricity transmission network between the Balkan countries, which is suspected to have worsened the problems. According to the sources of the Croatian state news agency, the blackout originated in Montenegro.

Heat warnings have also been issued at least in Turkey and Rome, Italy.

Stateside more than one hundred million Americans have been affected by heat warnings this week. Extreme heat has been experienced both on the east coast, for example in New York, and for example in Arizona and New Mexico. Temperatures of 45.5 degrees were measured in Phoenix, Arizona on Thursday.

In New York, the authorities have opened cooling centers in public libraries and nursing homes, for example, and schools in the area have been closed.

The authorities are also concerned about the heat on the US-Mexico border, when a 45-year-old Mexican man who tried to cross the border was found dead. It is the second heat-related migrant death in northern Mexico in a week.

The smuggler who transported the man to the United States had abandoned him in the desert because of the heat, but later went to bury his body in a bush. He later told the authorities the location of the body at the request of the man’s relatives.

Mexican authorities have reported a total of 155 heat-related deaths this year, 30 of which have occurred in the past week.

in India already more than 40,000 are said to have suffered from heat strokes this summer. Between the beginning of March and the middle of June, more than twice as many heat wave days have been measured in India than usual.

India has reported 110 heat-related deaths in the same period, but the country’s authorities do not usually categorize the death as a cause of death, instead listing the cause as an immediate cause of death, such as heart problems.

According to an estimate by the Reuters news agency, the actual heat-related deaths in India would probably be measured in the thousands or tens of thousands.

In Saudi Arabia, people have died from the heat already more than a thousand Muslim pilgrims. The hajj pilgrimage to Mecca is very important for Muslims, but Mecca has recorded temperatures of up to 51.8 degrees this week, making conditions life-threatening for many.

According to the latest calculations by the news agency AFP, there are already more than 1,100 dead, but the Saudi Arabian authorities deny that they acted wrongly.

“The state has not failed, but the people who traveled have not been able to assess the risks correctly,” a senior Saudi official commented to AFP.