International News
Europe Fires: Countries Hit By Wildfires In Past Weeks
As the region experiences record high temperatures during a summer heatwave, wildfires have continued to spread over southern Europe.
More than 21,000 people had to be evacuated from the islands of Corfu and Rhodes as a result of the spread of forest fires, making Greece one of the most impacted nations.
However, a number of other nations are also battling wildfires because of the hot weather.
Biztellers looks at the European countries where wildfires have spread in recent days
GREECE
Wildfires continue to rage on the Greek island of Rhodes, where 19,000 people have been evacuated from homes and hotels since the weekend.
Fires burning since 19 July spread to the coastal resorts on the south east of the island. An estimated 2,000 people left the island by plane on Tuesday.
Hundreds of firefighters, helped by staff from Turkey and Slovakia, have been battling blazes near the villages of Gennadi and Vati on the south east of Rhodes.
About 2,500 people were evacuated because of fires on the island of Corfu on Sunday 23 July, although many returned to their hotels on Monday. Local officials claimed the fires on Corfu were started by arsonists.
Wildfires are also burning on the island of Evia, east of Athens. On Tuesday, it was reported that a plane fighting wildfires on Evia crashed with at least two people on board.
ITALY
There are a number of wildfires burning on the Italian island of Sicily as temperatures reached 47C.
Palermo airport was forced to close for several hours on Tuesday morning after flames reached just outside the perimeter.
Italy has been severely impacted by the heatwave across southern Europe, and 16 of its cities are on red alert, including Palermo and Catania on Sicily.
Elsewhere on the island, 120 families were evacuated from their homes near the seaside resort of Mondello, according to the Ansa news agency.
There have been wildfires this week near the city of Messina, and in the San Martino delle Scale area near Palermo, where Ansa said an 88-year-old woman had died in the fires.
TURKEY
On Tuesday 25 July, firefighters battled a wildfire near the seaside resort of Kemer in Turkey.
Turkish officials said 11 aircraft and 22 helicopters were tackling the blaze, which burned 120 hectares of woodland.
A local hospital was evacuated as a precautionary measure and six people were hospitalised because of smoke inhalation
SPAIN
On 16 July, more than 4,000 people were evacuated on the Spanish island of La Palma after a wildfire.
The blaze burned 2,900 hectares of the island, including 200 hectares of the Caldera de Taburiente National Park.
Agents of the Forest Fire Intervention and Reinforcement Teams (EIRIF) of the Government of the Canary Islands intervene in the La Palma fire on July 17, 2023, in La Palma, Canary Islands (Spain).
The Forest Fire Intervention and Reinforcement Teams (EIRIF) of the Government of the Canary Islands have been working on the La Palma fire creating fire breaks.
The Spanish islands of Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca have reportedly remained on high alert this week for the risk of fires.
SWITZERLAND
On Tuesday 18 July, firefighters in Switzerland battled a forest fire on a mountain in Bitsch in the Valais area near the border with Italy.
More than 200 people were evacuated as helicopters flew overhead during the night to tackle the blaze.
The fire spread to 100 hectares of forest and was still not completely under control at the weekend.
PORTUGAL
On Tuesday 18 July , Portugal requested help in the management of wildfires from the European Union civil protection mechanism, Finland’s Interior ministry said.
Finland will send 48 rescue workers to help Portugal in the event of wildfires.
While Portugal has escaped the worst of the recent southern Europe heatwave, it is facing widespread drought, with some 90% of the country affected, after an unusually hot and dry April.
MALTA
This week, a heatwave in Malta caused temperatures to soar as high as 42C.
Its Civil Protection Department was on high alert on Monday due to the potential for wildfires in the archipelago.
By Wednesday, the island country’s temperatures should be in the mid-30s.
Residents of Istanbul were jolted by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday, which struck the Marmara Sea near the city’s western fringes, prompting widespread concern but causing no immediate casualties.
The quake, which occurred at 12:49 p.m. local time (0949 GMT), originated in Silivri, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
“An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude occurred in Silivri, Marmara Sea, Istanbul,” he confirmed on X, formerly Twitter. Yerlikaya also noted that tremors were felt in nearby provinces.
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Following the initial tremor, Turkey’s disaster management authority, AFAD, reported three more earthquakes ranging from 4.4 to 4.9 in magnitude.
The seismic activity sent people fleeing onto the streets, with many seen anxiously checking their phones or making calls.
“I just felt earthquake, I’ve got to get out,” said a decorator who dashed out of a fourth-floor apartment near Galata Tower. He declined to give his name, visibly shaken by the experience.
Despite the intensity, there were no reports of injuries or building collapses in the city of approximately 16 million people.
“Until now, we have no information about any buildings collapsing,” the governor’s office stated, urging residents to avoid entering structures that may have sustained damage.
Reassuring citizens, the Istanbul municipality also confirmed, “No serious cases have been reported so far following the earthquake in Istanbul,” in a post on X.
Tremors from the quake were reportedly felt as far as Sofia, Bulgaria, according to AFP journalists in the capital.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation as aftershocks persist and damage assessments are conducted across the region.
The Vatican has disclosed that Pope Francis died of a stroke, which caused a coma and irreversible heart failure, according to his official death certificate released on Monday.
The 88-year-old pontiff passed away on Monday morning, nearly a month after being discharged from hospital following treatment for double pneumonia.
In the statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the cause of death was identified as “a stroke, followed by coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.”
READ MORE: JUST IN: Vatican Mourns As Pope Francis Passes Away At 88
The certification was issued by Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State.
The medical report also detailed the Pope’s history of health challenges, including “acute respiratory failure caused by multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, multiple bronchiectases, high blood pressure, and Type II diabetes.”
His death was confirmed through electrocardiographic thanatography.
“I hereby declare,” wrote Dr. Arcangeli, “that the causes of death, to the best of my knowledge and judgment, are as stated above.”
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013 and was widely recognized for his efforts to modernize Church doctrine and promote global social justice.
Pope Francis, the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, has died at the age of 88, the Vatican announced on Monday.
His passing came just a day after he made an emotional appearance before thousands of faithful gathered at Saint Peter’s Square for Easter Sunday celebrations.
“It is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in an official statement shared via the Vatican’s Telegram channel.
READ ALSO: Pope Francis To Return To Vatican After Month-Long Treatment
“This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church.”
The pontiff’s final public appearance, marked by visible frailty, came as a surprise to many, as he had only recently been discharged from the hospital following a prolonged battle with pneumonia. Francis had endured two life-threatening health scares earlier this year and spent 38 days hospitalized before being released on March 23.
Despite his condition, the pope greeted crowds on Easter Sunday with a heartfelt “Happy Easter” and delivered his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, using the occasion to call for global peace, freedom of thought, and tolerance.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to assume the papacy.
His decade-long leadership was marked by a focus on compassion, humility, social justice, and outreach to marginalized communities.
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