Sky News came to a halt for a tragic breaking update as presenter Gareth Barlow revealed hundreds of people have died because of the heatwave. Red weather alerts were issued across the UK earlier this week as temperatures hit as high as 40 degrees. But England was not the only country to endure record-breaking temperatures, as the heatwave also swept across France and Spain.
Tragically, Spain’s public health body estimated that 212 deaths were linked to the extreme heat affecting western Europe. Barlow said: “Europe is experiencing severe weather. Nearly all of the deaths in Spain, 212 of them, have been recorded in people aged over 65 years. It’s as the country reaches its highest daily average temperature since 1950.
“Climate change, the driving force behind these temperatures in Europe. The most of any of the continents facing that impact of climate change.
“The heatwave is driven by a weather pattern known as the Omega block. It’s pushing temperatures up as much as 18 degrees above normal.”
He said: “In Europe, where we say that they know how to deal with the heat, they’ve had 200,000 extra deaths in the last four years just from the heat in people who were vulnerable and people with pre-existing medical conditions.
“There are risks to life when we have a red alert and people need to keep things in perspective and be sensible.”
He added: “Alcohol alone, which thousands of gallons are consumed in weather like this, is a factor in making people dehydrated.
“Because it dilates blood vessels in your skin, you feel cool but your core temperature is very high. This can lead to heat exhaustion very quickly.”
The TV star urged viewers to be cautious and not take things for granted, but “enjoy the sun sensibly”.
