At least eight people have died across Europe as an early summer heatwave grips much of the continent.
This has triggered health alerts and forest fires forcing the closure of a nuclear reactor at a Swiss power plant.
Authorities in Spain’s Catalonia region said about 14,000 people were ordered to stay indoors due to two wildfires that broke out almost simultaneously in the province of Lleida
In one of the blazes near the city of Cosco, “two people were found lifeless by firefighters,” the fire and emergency service said in a statement.
The exact cause of the fire was unclear, but the service said the recent heat, dry conditions and strong winds increased the intensity of the flames.
Tuesday’s fire in the Catalonia region burned several farms and affected an area stretching about 40km before being contained, officials said.
Spanish officials reported two more people died due to the heatwave in Extremadura and Cordoba.
Spain is in the midst of an intense heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40˚C in many places, and several heat records were set for the month of June
France also experienced its hottest June since 2003. Its energy minister reported two deaths linked to the heat with 300 others taken to hospital.
Two men over the age of 60 also died from the heat on beaches in Sardinia in Italy.
In Germany, temperatures were forecast to peak at 40˚C in some areas, making it the hottest day of the year.
Fire brigades were also tackling several forest fires in the eastern states of Brandenburg and Saxony.
Italy, France and Germany have also warned of the risk of powerful storms due to excessive warming in unstable atmospheres.
