Slovakia's meteorological agency on 30/6 recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41,3°C in the Kamenica nad Hronom residential area in the south, near the Hungarian border. The previous record of 41°C was set on 29/6.
Across the border, temperatures in the town of Szecseny in northern Hungary reached 42°C, surpassing the 2007 record of 41,9°C, according to the national meteorological agency HungaroMet.
Hungary and Slovakia have issued the highest heat warnings for several days, leading many cities in both countries to restrict water usage. Some localities, including the city of Nitra in central Slovakia, face clean water shortages, with water tankers deployed to assist residents.
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Villagers in Szada, Hungary, carry containers to collect water from a mobile tanker on 30/6. Photo: AFP |
Many taps in a mountain village northwest of Hungary's capital, Budapest, have run dry. Local residents carried plastic containers and bottles to collect water from roadside tankers amid 41°C heat.
"We mainly use water to quench our thirst, and we also need to give it to our animals", said Andras Arki, a 23-year-old student.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar urged residents to conserve water, limiting its use for non-essential activities like watering lawns or washing cars.
Europe is experiencing a severe heatwave that has lasted over one week, with many areas recording record-high temperatures. According to experts, a powerful heatwave is scorching the continent, disrupting the lives of millions.
Preliminary mortality figures released by France's Public Health Agency on 28/6 indicate the country has recorded an additional 1,000 deaths compared to previous months since the peak of the heatwave on 24/6. Home deaths also surged by 40% during this period.
Justino Martinez, an expert at the Institute of Marine Sciences in Spain, stated that the heatwave in the northwestern Mediterranean has a higher intensity than any average previously recorded by the agency, referring to the waters north of the Balearic Islands and west of Corsica and Sardinia.
Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, AP, Reuters)
