Holidaymakers heading to Greece have been issued a "stay safe" warning as the country is hit by a severe heatwave. With temperatures reaching up to 43C, schools and popular tourist destinations are being forced to close due to the extreme conditions. The heatwave is being fuelled by southerly winds carrying hot air and dust from North Africa.
The severity of the heatwave poses a risk to life, leading to the closure of the Acropolis, which welcomed four million visitors last year, between 9am and 2pm (GMT) on Wednesday. Primary schools and nurseries in the southern regions of the country will remain closed until Friday, while Red Cross medics have been spotted distributing water bottles to tourists. Rubbish collection services have also been suspended for several hours.
Read more: Pedestrians puzzled as mysterious signs pop up around Cork city overnight Read more: Met Éireann forecasts thunderstorms but hold out some hope for weekend In an effort to provide some respite from the heat, seven air-conditioned spaces have been made available to the public. Meteorologists have noted that this is the earliest recorded heatwave in history. "In the 20th Century, we never had a heatwave before June 19.
We have had several in the 21st Century, but none before June 15," state TV meteorologist Panos Giannopoulos stated, reports the Manchester Evening News . Fotis Pappous, an electrician, revealed that he had started his workday a few hours earlier, at 6am, following instructions from hi.
