
Turkey, Bulgaria battle wildfires
There have been at least 14 deaths in the past week in Turkey and about 20 villages have been evacuated, according to officials.
In neighbouring Bulgaria, emergency services fought more than 160 wildfires across the country on Monday. Greece also struggled to clear up after a week of forest fires and Spanish planes went to help Portuguese firefighters tackling a blaze on a remote mountain.
"We are burning up, we don't even know where to go anymore," Asmin Gezginci, 24, said while returning from a park to her home in the Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir.
Temperatures soared to a record high of 50.5 degrees Celsius (123 Fahrenheit) on Friday in Silopi, two hours from Gezginci's home. AFP

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
16 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Mudslide engulfs Indian Himalayan town
Residential buildings are seen partially submerged in sludge in Uttarakhand state. Photo: AFP A flash flood driving a torrent of mud smashed into a town in India's Himalayan region on Tuesday, killing at least four people with around 100 others missing. The roaring waters tore down a narrow mountain valley, demolishing buildings as the flood barrelled into the town of Dharali in Uttarakhand state. "It is a serious situation," Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth told the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency. "We have received information about four deaths and around 100 people missing. We pray for their safety." Videos broadcast on Indian media showed a terrifying surge of muddy water sweeping away multi-storey apartment blocks in the tourist region. Several people could be seen running before being engulfed by the dark waves of debris that uprooted entire buildings. Uttarakhand State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said rescue teams had been deployed "on a war footing". India's army said 150 troops had reached the town, helping rescue around 20 people who had survived the wall of freezing sludge. "A massive mudslide struck Dharali... triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlement," the army said. Images released by the army, taken from the site after the main torrent had passed, showed a river of slow-moving mud. A wide swath of the town was swamped by deep debris. In places, the mud lapped at the rooftops of houses. State Disaster Response Force commander Arpan Yaduvanshi said the mud was 50 feet (15 metres) deep in places, swamping some buildings entirely. "Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, with all available resources being deployed to locate and evacuate any remaining stranded persons," army spokesman Suneel Bartwal said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a statement, and said that "no stone is being left unturned in providing assistance". Chief Minister Dhami said the flood was caused by a sudden and intense "cloudburst", calling the destruction "extremely sad and distressing".


Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Japan sees record heat, raising fears for rice crops
Visitors holding parasols walk along Nakamise street at the Asakusa district, a popular sightseeing spot, as the Japanese government issued a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures due to a heatwave, in Tokyo, Japan August 5, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, prompting the government to advise residents to stay indoors and promise steps to ease weather-related damage to rice crops. Readings in the eastern city of Isesaki, in Gunma prefecture, surpassed the previous high of 41.2 C marked last week in the western city of Tamba in Hyogo prefecture, the country's meteorological agency said. A digital thermometer display shows a temperature of 41 degree Celsius in front of JR Isesaki station in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan August 5, 2025. Photo: Reuters So far this summer, more than 53,000 people have been taken to hospital for heat stroke, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. People use parasols to cope with the heatwave, in Hiroshima, Japan, August 5, 2025. Photo: Reuters "Today is murderously hot," said 63-year-old auto worker Takeshi Ishikawa, who was filling his water bottle at a fountain in central Tokyo. "If it gets to 42 degrees, it would be hotter than my bath that I prepare at 40 degrees." Visitors exposed to the sun walk at the Sensoji temple, a popular sightseeing spot, as the Japanese government issued a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures due to a heatwave, in Tokyo, Japan August 5, 2025. Photo: Reuters Average temperatures across Japan have continued to climb after marking a record high in July for the third year in a row, while the northeastern region along the Sea of Japan has registered critically low levels of rainfall, raising concerns over the rice harvest. High temperatures have caused a proliferation of stink bugs in some rice-growing areas, even as the government is set to officially adopt a new policy on Tuesday of increased rice production to prevent future shortages. A person covers himself with a towel to cope with the heatwave, in Hiroshima, Japan, August 5, Reuters "We need to act with speed and a sense of crisis to prevent damage" from high temperatures, Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a press conference. The government will offer support for pest control and measures to tackle drought, he said. Extreme heat in 2023 had damaged the quality of rice, causing an acute shortage last year that was exacerbated by the government's misreading of supply and demand. That led to historically high prices of the all-important staple food, causing a national crisis.


Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
Japan sets highest-ever temperature on record of 41.6 degrees Celsius
TOKYO: Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.6 degrees Celsius (106.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in the eastern city of Isesaki on Tuesday, the country's Meteorological Agency said. UAE hits highest May temperature on record at 50.4C The reading surpassed the previous record of 41.2C set last week in the city of Tamba in Hyogo prefecture.