Intense Heat Buckles Railway Tracks in Greece as Athens Boils

Hellenic Trains greek trains

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

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

The effects of the heat have been felt across the country for several days. The tracks of the suburban railway in the western port city of Patras even buckled under the intense temperatures.

The Greek civil protection authority has repeatedly called on elderly and sick people to stay indoors during the day.

“The worst thing is that we can’t even 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 combination of drought, heat, and strong winds currently blowing around the Aegean Sea. Hundreds of fires have already ravaged Greece in recent weeks.

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