Campania swelters as Europe's heat crisis deepens; WHO warns on health risk

Campania is in the grip of extreme heat as Europe's heatwave intensifies, with the region among those placed on red alert by Italian authorities on Wednesday. The Guardian reported that France recorded its hottest day on record on Tuesday, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius across much of southern Europe, including Italy. The World Health Organization, responding to the crisis, warned on Wednesday that Europe must invest urgently in making healthcare systems more climate-resilient, as heat-related deaths and health emergencies mount across the continent.

The heatwave has disrupted daily life across Italy. In Rome, delivery riders continued working through the hottest hours despite the dangerous conditions, according to reports from activists who used thermal imaging to document blistering street temperatures. Florence's Uffizi Gallery was forced to limit admissions after air conditioning systems failed, leaving lengthy queues of visitors outside one of the world's most visited museums. The scale of the crisis is underscored by the toll in France: the Guardian reported that 40 people drowned across the country in a single day as people sought refuge in water, while the national weather service recorded the hottest day since measurements began in 1947.