At least five tourists have died and others are missing in Greece, according to media reports as temperatures rise, while Italy is also set to be hit by a heatwave in the coming days.
“Many tourists underestimate the effort involved in walking in direct sunlight,” says Athenian cardiologist Thomas Giannoulis. “The temperature can reach 37 degrees in the shade and easily up to 60 degrees in the sun.”
This increases the risk of dehydration and heat stroke. “And the danger increases as a person ages,” says Giannoulis.
All those who died or went missing were tourists between the ages of 55 and 80. The first was a 67-year-old British journalist who went missing on Simi off the Turkish coast in early June and whose body was found a few days later. later on.
He had wandered off the path and collapsed in a spot where it was difficult for search parties to find him, local authorities said.
Two others died in Crete. An 80-year-old man who went for a walk alone and a 70-year-old man who collapsed and died on a beach.
On Mathraki, a small island west of Corfu, a 55-year-old American citizen died while hiking. And on Samos off the Turkish coast, the body of a 74-year-old Dutch man was found days after he went for a walk on his own.
In the Cyclades, an American citizen has been missing on Amorgos for over a week after going for a hike. And two elderly French women are missing after taking a walk in Sikinos last week.
According to reports in the Greek press, some victims went outside shortly after eating lunch and drinking alcohol. Others had no map or smartphone or were in inaccessible terrain without a signal.
Going out alone is the biggest mistake, says Giannoulis. With sunstroke, one can quickly lose sense of time and orientation. “Sunstroke must be treated in hospital as quickly as possible. Just drinking some water is not enough,” says the cardiologist.
According to meteorologists, this time of year has not been this warm since measurements began, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees in early June.
Italian meteorologists also predict a heat wave in the coming days, with temperatures rising to almost 40 degrees from Wednesday.
On the large islands of Sicily and Sardinia and in the southern region of Apulia, temperatures could rise above 40 degrees in some places on Thursday, the official weather service of the Italian Air Force predicted.
Temperatures of up to 38 degrees are expected in Rome on Thursday. In parts of Campania, where Naples is located, highs of 40 degrees are expected. In Tuscany, people can expect between 32 and 36 degrees, meteorologists say.
It also gets very warm in Emilia-Romagna on the Adriatic coast. However, Italy’s northern regions will be spared from excessively high temperatures.
According to weather site ilmeteo.it, the warm weather in central and southern Italy is due to a high-pressure area from Africa called “Minos” that is moving towards the country.
The warm air is accompanied by high humidity and warm nights. The heat wave will weaken towards the weekend. Heavy thunderstorms are forecast, especially in the north, and a drop in temperatures.
