With the temperatures rising all over Europe and the West, people are dying of heatstroke. In a record breaking heatstroke attack, about 500 people died in Hungary. The Hungarian govt has declared a National emergency.
In Hungary and other parts of Europe, temperatures reached a high of 41.9 degrees C. It doesn’t matter how much effort you put in to keep your cool. The European heat will get you. This is by far, the worst summer in Europe.
According to reports, the death toll has increased to about 500 out of which, 230 are premature deaths. Besides an increased death toll, there have been massive power cuts, and forest fires. This is the first time that Hungary is witnessing a freak weather like this.
Most of the deaths have been caused by already existing heart problems, which aggravated due to the heat. There has been about 30% rise in ambulance calls. Although, according to Pal Gyorfi, an Hungarian paramedic:
Calls for ambulances increased by some 30 per cent over the past week but during record high temperatures on Friday, this went up to 50 per cent
Not only Hungary, but also a few other European nations have reported deaths and other heat related problems. Romania reported about 27 heat related fatalities. The European countries along the Balkan peninsula, also suffered casualties. Greece recorded temperatures of 45 degrees Fahrenheit. People have been advised to stay indoors and restrict movements.
Besides heatstrokes, property damage and charred bodies have also been discovered. In the Puglia beach region, heat has taken a toll on tourists. Couple of them have been burned to death in their vehicles due to the direct influence of the heat. In a separate incident, two others asphyxiated to death.
This is a very sad difficult time for Europeans. The rise in temperature and climate changes have been happening throughout the world. Perhaps, the most notable thing is the crumbling of Mt.Eiger due to global warming. I think it’s time that we start taking some drastic measures to save the planet, people and flora. Although, it might be a little to late.
Image Credits: Ehponline, Wikimedia
