Heatwave in Greece kills 700

Press, 28 July 1987, Page 10

Heatwave in Greece kills 700

NZPA-Reuter Athena

A nine-day searching heatwave in Greece that has caused the death of more than TH people It expected to continue for another week, the weather office said yesterday. A. state of national emergency was declared at the week-end. Cemeteries were ordered to work overtime to cope with the increased workload.

Temperatures in Athens have reached a high of 47 deg. The Government advised people to avoid the sun and take plenty of water and salt to prevent dehydration.

Hospital officials said the dead were mainly elderly people with heart and breathing complaints. More than 15M people had been admitted to hospital with heatrelated problems.

Athens seemed almost deserted during the week-end as an estimated one million people fled to the countryside. . “Most people who died were elderly heart and respiratory cases,” George Kalatzis, a doctor in an Athens hospital, said.

“Most hospitals lack air-conditioning and this makes things worse,” he added.

The Interior Ministry ordered cemeteries in Athens to conduct burials throughout the week-end to cope with the increased demand.

The pro-government daily “Eleftherotypia” reported on the effects of the blistering heat under the headline “National Tragedy from Killer Heatwave.”

Many of those who remained splashed in ponds in squares and parks . for relief, while beaches near the capital were packed.

“The situation in Athens is even worse because of the pollution,” environmentalist Costas Anneals said.