Extreme heat scorches Southern Europe

In the Greek capital, Athens, popular ancient sights such as the Acropolis have remained closed during peak heat periods. The health risk for tour guides and tourists is too high. Matthew Enos, an 18-year-old visitor from the US, told the Reuters agency that he was not prepared for the heat. "Not the greatest feeling ever," he said, "so I've just been adapting by drinking lots and lots of water."

Temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) have been recorded in Greece and North Macedonia, with authorities warning of the health risk and asking people to stay at home, if possible. For those who work outdoors, the heat is a dangerous strain on the body. Victor, a tour guide in the North Macedonian city of Skopje, tried to beat the heat by pouring water over his face.

In the Cypriot village of Souni, a cooling pool lies abandoned among burned houses, as hundreds of people spent the night in emergency shelters due to forest fires. Firefighting teams from Jordan, Israel and Spain came to the aid of the island nation and were deployed to fight the blazes. The flames consumed a huge area of almost 120 square kilometers (about 46 square miles) of wooded hills.

A fountain in the Sicilian city of Catania provided this man with some much-needed refreshment. Palermo, the capital of the Sicily region, has already issued the highest heat warning level. In the southern Italian region of Apulia, authorities have reported five deaths related to the extreme temperatures. For young children and the elderly, the heat can be life-threatening.

In Rome, tourists are seeking refuge in the sparse shade of their parasols as they wait for a guided tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Some dehydrated tourists have collapsed in the extreme heat, said Francesca Duimich, who represents a tour guide association. "The Forum is a pit; There is no shade, there is no wind," she told The Associated Press.

Head first into the Bosporus — the perfect way to cool off in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul. A high-pressure system has been driving the scorching hot air from Africa into the Mediterranean region. In Turkey, highs above 40 degrees Celsius have already been recorded in 18 provinces, and meteorologists expect temperatures to continue to rise and break heat records.

Volunteers are plowing wide swaths through the meadows and fields near the village of Ponor, northwest of the Bulgarian capital Sofia, to prevent flames from spreading to grain fields and residential areas.

The heat inside this full-body costume worn by a mascot in Sofia must be unbearable. The death of a street sweeper in Barcelona due to heat exhaustion has reignited an intense debate about better working conditions. Trade unions in southern European countries are calling for more protection for workers during the summer months.

In the more bearable evening hours, young people in Thessaloniki play with water fountains. Employers in Greece are advised to adjust working hours in summer and take a break at lunchtime — but this is not mandatory.