Athens, Jul. 16, (dpa/GNA) – Intense heat across Greece is having an ever greater impact on people’s everyday lives – and there is no end to the high temperatures in sight.

“We are expecting 43 degrees and more in the next few days,” said a meteorologist from the Greek television station ERT on Monday, as temperatures reached 38 degrees Celcius by the early afternoon.

The effects of the heat have been felt across the country for several days, with the tracks of the suburban railway in the western port city of Patras buckling.

The Greek civil protection authority once again called on elderly and sick people not to go out onto the streets during the day.

“The worst thing is that we can’t sleep at night because of the heat,” a passer-by in Athens told Greek television.

Authorities say the risk of fire is also very high due to a drought, the heat and strong winds that are currently blowing around the Aegean Sea. There have been hundreds of fires in Greece in recent weeks.

Thermometers in almost all regions of the Greek mainland have been showing temperatures of up to 40 degrees since the beginning of June. Meteorologists declared that this year represented the hottest June since records began in 1890.

GNA