Euro Heat Wave Kills Hundreds

Most victims are elderly; Hungary hit hardest
By Colleen Barry,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 25, 2007 5:55 AM CDT
Euro Heat Wave Kills Hundreds
People cool off at a swimming pool by the Tiber River in downtown Rome, Thursday, July 19, 2007. The heatwave that is sweeping across Italy persisted on Thursday and is expected to continue over the weekend. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)   (Associated Press)

More than 500 people have died in the last week in the heat wave gripping central Europe. Most of the victims lived in Hungary, with some casualties reported in nearby Romania, the BBC reports. The elderly have been hardest hit. Temperatures in some areas have reached 107 degrees; the intense heat has already destroyed almost a third of Serbia's harvest.

Southeast Europe is overwhelmed, too. Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are battling wildfires, and temperatures in Bulgaria soared to 113 Monday. In the north, unusually heavy rains have triggered widespread flooding. The chaotic weather has been linked to a shift in the jet stream, though some fear it may be due to global warming. (More Europe stories.)

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