Tragic Heatwave in Southern Europe: Two-Year-Old Dies in Spain

Several people have died due to the extreme heat in Southern Europe, including a two-year-old boy in Spain who was reportedly left in a car.

Southern Europe has been hit by an extreme heatwave in recent days.

Several countries have warned their populations about the high temperatures, and Swedish embassies in Portugal, Spain, and Italy have issued advice to Swedes in these countries.

Multiple Deaths Due to Heat

At least eight people have died in connection with the heat, according to Reuters. Two of them in France—where approximately 300 more people have been hospitalized—and two on beaches in Sardinia, Italy, as well as four in Spain, two of whom died in wildfires.

One of the deceased in Spain is reported to be a two-year-old boy. He is said to have suffered heatstroke after being left in a car in the northeastern part of the country on Tuesday—when it was over 30 degrees Celsius in the shade.

"Everything indicates it was negligence on the father's part. The child spent the entire morning in a locked car in the sun. Even an adult would have died," a police spokesperson told AFP.

Heat Domes Behind the Temperatures

In Spain, temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in several areas, and according to the country's meteorological agency, it has been the hottest June on record.

Meanwhile, Portugal broke its daily temperature record for June, with 46.4 degrees Celsius in Mora, east of Lisbon, on Sunday.

The heatwave has also spread to regions including the Balkans and Greece.

Michael Byrne, a climate science researcher at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, told AFP that this type of heat dome, which traps warm air under high pressure, is not new.

"What is new are the temperatures these heat domes deliver. Europe is more than two degrees warmer compared to pre-industrial times, so when a heat dome occurs, the heatwave becomes worse, bringing higher and more dangerous temperatures."