05 SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2019 world Europe swelters in heatwave Paris, France Spanish teenager collapsed with every heatwave,” said French Fire hydrants uncapped convulsions when he took a dip Prime Minister Edouard French Health Minister Agnes rance yesterday recorded in a swimming pool to cool off. Philippe. Buzyn warned those tempted its hottest ever tempera- He was rushed to hospital in Scientists warn that global to plunge into cold water, both Fture of 44.3 degrees Cel- the town of Cordoba where he warming linked to human fossil young and old, to do so only in sius, as Europe sweltered in an later died, the regional govern- fuel use could make such scorch- designated public bathing areas, early summer heatwave already ment said. ers more frequent. adding that four people blamed for several deaths. Elsewhere in Spain, a 93-year- had With France, Spain, Italy and old man collapsed and parts of central Europe par - died on the street in ticularly badly hit by the high the northern city temperatures, officials urged of Valladolid, police people to take common sense said, giving heat- precautions -- complaining that stroke as the cause of this was not always the case. death. The record temperature of Heat-related deaths 44.3 degrees Celsius (111.7 de- have also been reported in It- grees Fahrenheit) was recorded aly, France and Germany, mainly A pharmacy screen sign indicating the temperature of 44 degrees Celsius in in France’s southeastern town of among the elderly. Carpentras, south-eastern France Carpentras. France remains haunted by It beat the previous national the memory of the dev- drowned since the beginning of old homeless man was found record of 44.1 degrees Celsius astating heatwave of the week. dead at the main train station on recorded in Saint-Christol-les- August 2003 which On Thursday, Buzyn com - Thursday after falling ill due to Ales and Conqueyrac during the exposed the short- plained that despite a barrage the heatwave. notorious August 2003 heat- comings of emer- of public health warnings on ra- A day earlier, at least four peo- wave, state weather forecaster gency services at the dio, TV and on public transport, ple died in Germany in bathing Meteo-France said. height of the summer some parents were still leaving accidents. Meteo-France’s Etienne Ka- holidays. their children in hot cars and pikian said it was “very proba- That year, nearly joggers were out exercising in Spanish inferno ble” the record would be beaten 15,000 people are es - the midday heat. In Spain, firefighters were again Friday as it was still rela- timated to have died Also Thursday, a six-year- continuing to battle a large forest tively early in the day. because of the heat, many old Syrian child was seriously fire in the northeastern Catalo- “(The temperature) will con- of them elderly people at injured in the Saint-Denis nia region. tinue to climb and, in some plac- home. neighbourhood north of Catalonia’s forest service said es, we could pass 44 degrees “I want to appeal to the Paris after being cat- the fire likely began when an Celsius,” he said. sense of re- apulted into the air “improperly managed” pile of The centre of Carpentras was sponsibility by water gushing manure at a chicken farm spon- almost deserted in the middle of citizens from an open taneously combusted in the ex- of the day, with cafe owners -- there fire hy- treme heat. contemplating empty terraces are avoida- Hundreds of firefighters which usually would be packed. ble deaths in backed by troops and aerial wa- “We have never seen this!” ter bombers were trying to bring one exclaimed. it under control. They were hampered by roast- ‘Avoidable deaths’ ing 44-degree temperatures and At least two deaths drant very low humidity according to linked to the heatwave and then David Borrell, head of the Cata- were reported in Spain. crashing to the lan fire department. After feeling dizzy while ground. Spain’s north-east was on red helping harvest wheat in the In the Italian heatwave alert denoting “ex- southern Andalusia region, a A woman uses a fan to keep cool as she walks along a street in the French eastern city of Lyon city of Milan, a 72-year- treme risk”. Papua New Guinea deploys army Tunisia says president improving after falling ill to help volcano emergency Essebsi had already been• hospitalised last week, and the latest health scare raised fears a prolonged absence could lead to a period of uncertainty Papua New Guinea’s Mount Ulawun volcano spewing ash into the air. Tunis, Tunisia Kokopo | Papua New Guinea ground,” said Prime Minister unisian President Beji James Marape. TCaid Essebsi’s health was Local MP Joseph Lelang improving yesterday and the roops have been sent to said as many as 13,000 people 92-year-old was expected to be Thelp thousands of people may have been displaced, and discharged from hospital soon, displaced by a volcanic erup- 1,000 have lost their homes, his office said, a day after he tion on a remote archipelago in while Leo Porikura, an offi- fell ill. Papua New Guinea, the prime cial with the West New Britain “His state of health is improv- minister said yesterday, as a Disaster Office, put the num- ing,” presidential spokeswom- Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi (C), accompanied by his Prime Minister Youssef Chahed (L) and his Foreign Minister second volcano erupted. ber of displaced at around an Saida Garrach told Tunisian Khemaies Jhinaoui (R), attend the opening session of the 30th Arab League summit in the Tunisian capital Tunis Lava and ash flows from 7,000. public radio. Mount Ulawun -- one of the The emergency response “He had a meeting with the On Thursday, the presidency Essebsi had already been ident in the event of such an world’s most hazardous vol- was hampered by the closure defence minister at around 7:45 said Essebsi “was taken seri- hospitalised last week, and the absence. canoes -- have subsided, but of the region’s main airport, am, and they exchanged infor- ously ill and transferred to the latest health scare raised fears It can also temporarily dele- between 7,000 and 13,000 peo- which Saunders said was cov- mation on the situation in the military hospital in Tunis”. a prolonged absence could lead gate power to Prime Minister ple are believed to have been ered by around three centi- country,” she added. His adviser Firas Guefrech to a period of uncertainty. Youssef Chahed. displaced and a state of emer- metres of ash and remained The spokeswoman gave as- said initially that the president’s Under the constitution, a con- But eight years after the rev- gency has been declared. closed. surances that president should condition was “critical” before stitutional court can appoint the olution, political parties have “We will mobilise the mil- Volcanologists reported be released from hospital tweeting that he was “stable” country’s parliament speaker, not yet reached an agreement itary to go in and assess the that the nearby island volca- “soon”, without providing fur- and denying rumours that he currently 85-year-old Moham- to establish a constitutional situation, and we will despatch no of Manam had begun to ther details. had died. med Ennaceur, as interim pres- court. the military to assist on the erupt..