European Heat Wave Kills 5

At least five people have died as a heat wave with temperatures in excess of 40 C engulfed Southern European.

In northern Italy, a woman was swept to her death as an avalanche of mud and water caused by the humid conditions hit her car near the Alpine ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

The car was recovered in a river bed covered in detritus but emergency services were unable to resuscitate the woman, The Observer reported.

The incident followed the deaths of two pensioners, in the central Italian region of Abruzzo and the other in the south of the country, who were caught in wildfires. Two weather-related fatalities were also reported in Romania, including that of a farmer who collapsed while working outdoors.

The heat wave has cost billions in crop damage and is, scientists warned, a foretaste of worse to follow in coming decades. Italian olive production is tipped to fall 30% this year.