(Athens) Greece’s Culture Ministry ordered the Acropolis closed for several hours midday Wednesday. Authorities also warned of extreme conditions across much of the country as southern Europe suffers a heatwave that has sent temperatures soaring.
Meteorologists said hot air from Africa is expected to continue sweeping Greece for several days and at least until Sunday, with the heatwave reaching its peak on Wednesday and Thursday, when temperatures are expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius.
Authorities closed the famous Acropolis of Athens, the country’s biggest cultural attraction, from noon to 5 p.m., while municipalities made air-conditioned indoor spaces available to the public. People were urged to avoid sun exposure during the hottest hours of the day and to drink water frequently.
Tourists hoping to visit the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis queued early in the morning to escape the worst of the heat, while the Red Cross handed out chilled bottles of water and information leaflets to those waiting in line.
PHOTO ARIS OIKONOMOU, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The Red Cross distributed chilled bottles of water and information brochures to tourists.
In Albania, the heat has led the government to rearrange the working hours of civil servants, allowing some to work from home. In neighboring Italy, authorities have added Palermo, Sicily, to the list of 13 cities under heat warning, as the entire Italian peninsula is hit by the same heatwave. The list is expected to grow to 14 on Thursday, when the northern city of Bolzano is expected to be added.
In Verona, where temperatures are around 35 degrees Celsius, sprinklers in the public park were used to spray passers-by in the late afternoon, and tourists were urged to use public fountains. Leaflets advised the elderly to stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day, and a 24-hour emergency hotline was set up for emergencies, local media reported.
Hot, dry conditions have also stoked wildfires. Firefighters and water-dropping planes are battling several blazes in Greece, including a large one in a pine forest in the southern city of Corinth.
Across the northern border in North Macedonia, authorities are struggling to control dozens of fires that have broken out in the past 24 hours, one of which stretched for nearly 30 kilometres. Firefighting aircraft from Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania and Turkey have responded to the country’s call for help.
The government has declared a month-long nationwide state of emergency to reduce the risk of wildfires, with measures including banning access to forest areas.