‘Hellishly hot’ southern Europe bakes under heat wave as temperatures top 104F

ROME (AP) — The Italian health ministry placed 12 cities under the most severe heat warning Tuesday as a wave of hot air from Africa baked southern Europe and sent temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (104F), with the worst still to come.

Municipal authorities in several southern European and Balkan cities took measures to look after elderly people in particular as civil protection crews fielded calls for water-dropping aircraft such as Canadairs to douse wildfires that raged in southern Italy and North Macedonia.