Heat fires kill 1,700 in Spain and Portugal

Over the past week, more than 1,700 people died in Spain and Portugal due to a record heat wave hitting Europe, according to the American Axios website.

And the Spanish Carlos III Institute monitored 510 heat-related deaths in the country from July 10 to July 16.

And the Portuguese Ministry of Health announced, on Saturday evening, that 659 deaths were recorded due to the heat wave, during the past week, especially among the elderly, according to "Reuters".

The wave has traveled north to France and the United Kingdom, where the unprecedented temperatures threaten the lives of some residents.

And "AFP" said that temperatures in the United Kingdom exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, Tuesday, for the first time in the country's history.

In France, the National Weather Agency reported that 64 regions recorded record high temperatures on Monday, most of which are located on the western coast overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, where temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius.

The heat wave, which was accompanied by forest fires in France, Spain and Portugal, may last for several weeks, according to "Axios".

Scientists say the direct cause of this wave is global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions.

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