Red alert heat warnings were in force in nearly every Italian city, including Rome, Milan, Venice and Naples, disrupting travel plans for about 1.6 million UK tourists heading to Italy. Temperatures have hit the mid-30sC in many places, and authorities said the 'healthy and active' were also at risk, not just the elderly, children and people with chronic illnesses.
Fatal helicopter collision in Greece
Five water-dropping planes and five helicopters took off at dawn to help firefighters near Athens, after a midair collision between two firefighting helicopters at the weekend. A Greek national and a Dane died in the crash near the seaside area of Psatha. A British crew member and another local man were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from the region, including more than 250 rescued by boat from beaches. Evacuation orders were issued for three more areas as crews worked to create firebreaks in a forest to halt the blaze's advance.
France and Hungary hit by extreme conditions
In France, thousands of tourists were evacuated from campsites popular with Brits as firefighters guarded a still-burning scar four times the size of Paris. The blaze raged through pine forests and scrubland over the weekend, whipped by gale force winds that often prevented water-dropping planes from operating. The situation in the area near Correns was largely under control.
Hungary is facing power cuts after drought forced its only nuclear power plant to shut down. Prime Minister Peter Magyar said the country was preparing for a 'critical' week after the level of the Danube River, which cools the plant, fell to a record low. 'We are facing the most critical five days ahead,' he said in a Facebook video.
The government was considering applying mandatory electricity restrictions for large companies starting today. Mr Magyar called on companies, public institutions, local governments and households to significantly reduce or reschedule electricity use during evening peak hours between 5pm and 10pm. The Danube has fallen to its lowest level in 30 years in several countries, including Romania, and the drought has triggered water-use restrictions in more than 100 cities and villages.
Italy heatwave and tourist numbers
Italy is in the midst of its fourth extreme heatwave of the summer, with temperatures hitting 40C in many parts of the country. Official estimates say 17.4 million tourists will be travelling in Italy until August 23, including 8.4 million Italians and nine million from abroad, with about 1.6 million expected from the UK.
Travel advice for holidaymakers
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said wildfires in Greece were 'deeply worrying' for UK travellers. He said: 'It's essential, however, that travellers don't cancel their trips, especially those not due to travel for the next week or two. Travellers who cancel now will likely forfeit the right to a refund or rebooking, and you're unlikely to be able to claim on travel insurance, as the FCDO has not warned against travel to the affected regions. Where possible, holidaymakers should wait until closer to their departure date to see if their holiday can go ahead or what flexible booking options may be offered by their tour operator or airline. Travel companies will be prioritising anyone due to depart in the next couple of days.'
