Tourists outside Rome's Colosseum hide under umbrellas on another sweltering day in Rome. Photo: Amer Gazzal/Alami
Other countries on the continent prepared for similar suffocating heat. The Czech Meteorological Office has warned that weekend temperatures could top 38°C, which is unusual for a country where the hottest month of July averages 18°C.
Southern Spain, Italy and Greece are expected to temperatures will rise to 47°C by the end of the week.
Greek newspaper Ekathimerini reported that more than nine million people experienced temperatures above 39°C during the Cleon heat wave on Friday, and about 350,000 people were affected by temperatures of 43°C or higher.
The Italian Meteorological Society called the heat wave Cerberus, after the three-headed dog that guards the underworld in Greek mythology.
Tourists take shelter from the sun in Piazza San Marco as Venice prepares to celebrate the Redentore Festival Photo: Manuel Silvestri/Reuters
Thursday, the Greek government ordered a suspension of work from 12:00 to 17:00 in areas where abnormal temperatures pose a health risk.< /p>
On Saturday, the Acropolis, its most famous tourist attraction, was closed during the hottest part of the day to protect visitors for the second day in a row.
A forest fire broke out
Meanwhile, Spanish authorities evacuated 500 people after , as a forest fire broke out on the Spanish island of La Palma on Saturday.
The fire started early Saturday morning in El Pinar de Puntagorda, a wooded area in the north of the island in the Canary Islands.
As the fire spread, at least 11 houses were destroyed, said Fernando Clavijo, President of the Canary Islands.
“The number of people who need to be evacuated could be as high as 1,000. It depends on whether we can get these strong winds under control,” Mr. Clavijo told reporters in La Palma.
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