Heatwave caused higher than normal death rate in southern Italy

A homeless woman who did not want to give her name takes shade from the sun with an umbrella as she sits near Termini train station during a heatwave across Italy in Rome, Italy July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File photo

ROME (Reuters) - The central and southern regions of Italy recorded 7% more deaths than normal in July after a baking heatwave, health ministry data showed, while firefighters on Monday battled fires on Sardinia and hailstones and floods battered the northeast.

Italy has been at the forefront of extreme weather events since a heat wave hit southern Europe last month, with scorching temperatures leading to increased risk of fires and deaths.