500 people died of heat in Hungary

Hungarian health officials on Thursday estimated that about 500 people had died in the past week due to heatstroke, cardiovascular problems and other diseases caused by excessive heat.

Deputy director of the Hungarian National Institute of Environmental Health Anna Paldy said that there were 230 people in the central region. They could not withstand the intense heat that lasted from July 15-22. This is also the highest number of deaths due to hot weather in Hungary in recent years.

Statistics on the above deaths are gathered from doctors and hospitals in Budapest and the Pest region. Researchers have taken the data here to use the extrapolation to show the estimated number of victims across the country. Most of the deaths are old people.

Hot sunburn near Budapest, Hungary. (Photo: Reuters)

The average daytime temperatures in Hungary are 40 degrees Celsius, particularly in the southern city of Kiskunhalas, which recorded a record heat of 41.9 degrees Celsius.

In addition to Hungary, hot weather also occurs throughout southeastern Europe. In neighboring Romania there are also about 30 people killed in this harsh climate. In Serbia, the Ministry of Agriculture said about 30% of the country's harvest is lost due to the heat, of which the worst damage is wheat, soybeans and green vegetables.

In parts of southern and eastern Europe there is also temperatures above 40 degrees C. On Monday, temperatures recorded in Bulgaria reached 45 degrees Celsius, the largest ever record. Due to the hot weather, forest fires occur in Greece and Macedonia. Two Greek pilots were killed when the fire plane went to fight forest fires. A similar plane crashed in Italy on Monday, killing three people.

People find ways to cool off at a fountain in central Budapest.(Photo: Reuters)

Meanwhile, many parts of northern and western Europe are suffering from heavy downpours and severe floods. The central and western England had sunk in unprecedented flooding since 1957, forcing the Royal Air Force to launch the largest rescue operation in peacetime.

Many experts say, climate change has caused this type of unusual weather.

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