Europe counts cost of heatwave as Spain PM says more than 500 died
Spain's prime minister said "more than 500 people died" during a 10-day heatwave as Europe counts the cost of a record period of extreme temperatures.
Climate change protesters said the scorching weather should be a wake-up call for the continent.
"This has nothing to do with ideologies, but with a reality, with a climatic emergency that the planet is living through," said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Speaking against a backdrop of charred trees and burnt ground in the hard-hit northeastern Zaragoza region, he urged people to exercise "extreme caution".
Sanchez cited figures released by the Carlos III Health Institute, which estimates the number of heat-related fatalities based on the number of excess deaths compared to the average in previous years.
The institute has stressed these figures are a statistical estimate and not a record of official deaths.
In France, firefighters brought twin blazes near the southwestern city of Bordeaux under control.
Temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius over previous days have spelled misery for millions and shattered heat records.
Cooler air swept in Wednesday, bringing relief to people from Portugal to Britain, but thousands of firefighters continued to tackle blazes that have broken out in multiple countries after months of drought-like conditions.
