Heat wave: already 360 heat-related deaths in Spain since Sunday, also more deaths in Portugal
Steph Deschamps / July 17, 2022
The heat wave has killed at least 360 people in Spain since Sunday. This is what the newspaper La Vanguardia wrote on Saturday based on information from the Spanish health institute Carlos III.
On Friday alone, when the mercury rose here and there to over 45 degrees, 123 people succumbed to the heat.
In neighboring Portugal, 238 more deaths were reported between July 7 and 13 compared to the same period last year, the Lusa news agency reported.
This mainly concerns the elderly or people who are already ill. But also slightly younger people can succumb to the heat.
For example, on Friday, there was a sixty-year-old street sweeper who suddenly collapsed. Rescue workers arrived at the scene and measured a body temperature of 41.6 degrees. The man was transported to the hospital, but died there.
The additional deaths in Portugal are also due to the heat wave.
In Spain, authorities are advising people to drink enough water and to postpone physically demanding activities if possible and to only leave the house in the morning or evening. In the next few days, the mercury is expected to drop to values below 40 degrees in many places.