Tourists and labourers seek respite as Greece and Balkans gripped by heatwave
ATHENS (Reuters) -Labourers were pausing outdoor work and tourists seeking out shade on Tuesday as Greece sweltered under its third heatwave of the summer and soaring temperatures gripped the wider Balkan region, fuellingwildfires in Albania.
Situated at Europe's southernmost tip, Greece, which attracts dozens of millions of tourists every year, has always had hot and dry summers. But in recent years climate changehas led to longer and more severe heatwaves, as well as destructive floods andwildfires.
Couriers, food delivery riders and builders in the wider area of the Greek capital Athens and other regions were among those ordered to pause work from midday until 5 p.m., as the mercury was expected to climb as high as 43 degrees Celsius, the labour ministry said.
Workers with underlying health issues were advised to work remotely to avoid heat stress. Outside the parliament building in central Athens, a soldier used a towel to wipe the sweat from the face of a presidential guard.
Tourists in Athens, one of the most densely populated capitals in Europe sittingon a plain flanked by mountains, sought out air-conditioned restaurants and stores, and some said they were staying inside in the middle of the day.
ACROPOLIS SHUT
Authorities announced that the Acropolis, which sits on a rocky hill offering barely any shade and is Greece's most visited ancient site, would be closed for five hours from midday on Tuesday and Wednesday, a common step when temperatures soar.
The heatwave will continue until Sunday, the Greek meteorological service said.
Scorching heat also gripped neighboring Bulgaria on Tuesday, with authorities urging businesses to give away water and cut physicallabour during high-riskhours.
In Montenegro, major roads were congested as many rushed to the beaches to find relief from the heat. In Albania, firefightersassisted by four aircraft from Italy and Greece battled two wildfires at a national park in the north and near the southwestern village of Dukat.
Last month, large parts of Western Europe sweltered in another severe heatwave that left many dead and triggered forest fires and health alerts across the region.
Across the globe, 2024 was thewarmest year on record,with temperatures exceeding 1.5 Celsius above the pre-industrial era for the first time.
Research published last week showed that the soil surface temperature around Athensrose in some places by as much as 10 degrees Celsius since July 2024 after fires destroyed vegetation.
(Reporting by Stamos Prousalis, Angeliki Koutantou and Fatos Bytyci; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
14 hours ago
- The Star
Cycling-Tour de France final stage neutralised after slippery road conditions
Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 20 - Nantua to Pontarlier - Nantua, France - July 26, 2025 Riders in action in the peloton during stage 20 REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier PARIS (Reuters) -The final stage of the Tour de France saw its competitive element largely neutralised on Sunday after organisers decided to freeze the times with about 50 kilometres left due to hazardous road conditions. Following a pre-stage check, officials identified several sections of the course as dangerously slippery. The stage goes up the cobbled roads of the Butte Montmartre three times. "After a reconnaissance carried out before the stage, and after noting that certain sections had slippery road conditions, it was decided, in agreement with the president of the commissaires' panel, that the times would be frozen at kilometre 82, that is, on the 4th crossing of the finish line," organisers said in a statement. "A stage classification will be established, but it will not affect the general classification." The overall standings will therefore remain unchanged, preserving the yellow jersey leader's position. Slovenian Tadej Pogacar will, however, still need to cross the finish line to be declared winner of the race. (Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne;)
New Straits Times
15 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Turkiye evacuates thousands as firefighters battle wildfires
ANKARA: Firefighters battled wildfires across Turkiye on Sunday amid a searing Mediterranean heatwave, with authorities evacuating more than 3,600 people from settlements in two provinces. Wildfires in the southern provinces of Mersin and Antalya as well as the central province of Usak were largely brought under control, but blazes in the northwestern province of Bursa and the northern province of Karabuk were still burning, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters. A wildfire broke out in a forested area between the Gursu and Kestel districts of Bursa, home to much of Turkiye's auto industry, on Saturday. Part of a motorway connecting Istanbul with the western city of Izmir was briefly closed on Saturday night due to the fire. Huge flames engulfed trees in areas close to homes in Bursa as smoke covered the sky over the city, footage showed. Some 1,765 people in Bursa's Kestel district were evacuated, Yumakli said, adding that 2,000 firefighters were struggling to battle the wildfire in the area with the help of six firefighting planes and four helicopters. In the northern province of Karabuk, where a large wildfire has been burning for five days, 1,839 people in 19 villages were evacuated, Yumakli said. Three planes and 16 helicopters are tackling the blazes in the area amid difficult conditions, he added. "We are going through risky times. This does not seem likely to end in two or three days," Yumakli said, referring to the heatwave. Temperatures in several regions in Turkiye were forecast to reach over 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 6 to 12 degrees above seasonal norms, Turkiye's meteorological service said, as thermometers hit 50 degrees Celsius in the country's southeast on Saturday for the first time in recorded history.
The Star
16 hours ago
- The Star
Turkey evacuates thousands as firefighters battle wildfires
People stand next to smoke rising from the wildfire in the Aksu district of Antalya, a Mediterranean city in southern Turkey, July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Kaan Soyturk TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY ANKARA (Reuters) -Firefighters battled wildfires across Turkey on Sunday amid a searing Mediterranean heat-wave, with authorities evacuating more than 3,600 people from settlements in two provinces. Wildfires in the southern provinces of Mersin and Antalya as well as the central province of Usak were largely brought under control, but blazes in the northwestern province of Bursa and the northern province of Karabuk were still burning, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters. A wildfire broke out in a forested area between the Gursu and Kestel districts of Bursa, home to much of Turkey's auto industry, on Saturday. Part of a highway connecting Istanbul with the western city of Izmir was briefly closed on Saturday night due to the fire. Huge flames engulfed trees in areas close to homes in Bursa as smoke covered the sky over the city, footage showed. Some 1,765 people in Bursa's Kestel district were evacuated, Yumakli said, adding that 2,000 firefighters were struggling to battle the wildfire in the area with the help of six firefighting planes and four helicopters. In the northern province of Karabuk, where a large wildfire has been burning for five days, 1,839 people in 19 villages were evacuated, Yumakli said. Three planes and 16 helicopters are tackling the blazes in the area amid difficult conditions, he added. "We are going through risky times. This does not seem likely to end in two or three days," Yumakli said, referring to the heat-wave. Temperatures in several regions in Turkey were forecast to reach over 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 6 to 12 degrees above seasonal norms, Turkey's meteorological service said, as thermometers hit 50 degrees Celsius in the country's southeast on Saturday for the first time in recorded history. (Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; editing by Giles Elgood)
