FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Thirteen Italian regions have banned outdoor work during the hottest parts of the day; June temperature records have been broken in Spain and Portugal; and schools in some parts of France have closed, as an extreme heat wave continues to sweep across large parts of Europe.
Tens of thousands of people have also been evacuated from their homes in Turkey due to wildfires; while the top of the Eiffel Tower was closed to tourists on Tuesday, as temperatures in Paris were set to reach 38 degrees Celsius.
Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, two industrial hubs in northern Italy, announced on Tuesday that they were banning outdoor work between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., joining 11 other Italian regions, stretching from Liguria in the northwest to Calabria and Sicily in the south, that have imposed similar bans in recent days.
Local authorities were following the advice of unions after the death of Brahim Ait El Khayyam, a 47-year-old construction worker, who collapsed and died while working on a construction site near Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna, on Monday. The CGIL Bologna and Fillea CGIL unions said in a statement: “While we wait to learn the true cause of death, it is essential, during this terrible period, to promote a culture of safety. The climate emergency has clearly worsened conditions for those who work outside every day and companies must give absolute priority to protecting workers.”
The measures vary from region to region but include banning outdoor activities on construction sites, quarries and farms during designated hours. Attilio Fontana, the president of Lombardy, said: “Our priority is to protect the health of workers, especially during times like these when the heat becomes particularly unbearable .”
Admissions to hospital emergency units in some Italian regions have increased by 15-20% in recent days, with most patients being elderly people suffering from dehydration.
Other cities across the European continent are also experiencing higher than usual temperatures, including Zaragoza (39°C), Rome (37°C), Madrid (37°C), Athens (37°C), Brussels (36°C), Frankfurt am Main (36°C), Tirana (35°C) and London (33°C).
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