Deadly fires in the Mediterranean / Dozens of victims

2023-07-26 09:29:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Massive fires and extreme temperatures have become headlines this summer around the world.

According to reports, more than 40 people have lost their lives as a result of the fires, where most of the victims were recorded in Algeria.

Tens of thousands of others have also been evacuated from different parts of the world and Europe.

In Greece, the Ministry of Civil Defense warned of an "extreme risk" of fire in six of the country's 13 regions.

Greece is one of the countries most affected by this disaster, which is favored by high temperatures. The fires have engulfed islands such as Rhodes, Corfu and Evia.

On the island of Rhodes more than 20,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and resorts in the south in recent days.

Thousands of people have also been evacuated in Evia and Corfu, while Crete, another holiday destination - is on high alert.

Temperatures in the Greek country are expected to rise above 44 degrees Celsius.

Italy has been hit by opposite weather extremes, with storms in the north and fires in Sicily and some other southern regions.

A couple in their 70s were found dead in a house fire in Palermo.

An 88-year-old woman also moved to this city because of the fires.

A fire in the Foggia region, on Italy's Adriatic coast, forced the evacuation of 2,000 people from three hotels.

"We are experiencing in Italy the most complicated days in recent decades - rainstorms, tornadoes and giant hail in the north and scorching heat and devastating fires in the center and south," said Civil Defense Minister Nello Musumeci.

The most damaged country and numerous loss of life due to the flames is Algeria, where 34 victims have been recorded, 10 of them soldiers surrounded by flames during an evacuation in the coastal province of Bejaia, east of Algiers.

Algerian authorities said that 80% of the flames had been extinguished as of Sunday, but the situation remains critical.

According to reports, about 8,000 personnel, hundreds of fire trucks and several planes have been engaged in extinguishing the flames.

Fires have also broken out in Tunisia, where 300 people had to be evacuated from the coastal village of Melloula.

A team of climate scientists - the World Weather Attribution group - said that this month's intense heat wave in southern Europe, North America and China is a consequence of climate change./CNA.al