Greece's summer tragedy: Record heat wave ignites wildfires, closes Acropolis, and claims tourists' lives

Even though summer is only getting started in the Northern Hemisphere, Greece is already experiencing an unheard-of heat wave that is causing wildfires to rage across the nation, visitors to pass out and die, and midday closures of the main tourist attractions.

Warm air from North Africa has caused record-breaking temperatures in Southern Europe. The Athens National Observatory reports that last week's highs in Athens exceeded 107°F, with Crete hitting 112°F and the Peloponnese peninsula hitting 111°F.

In recent weeks, at least five visitors have died or disappeared in Greece, including well-known British TV doctor and journalist Michael Mosley.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

American visitor Toby Sheets was discovered dead on a beach on island west of Corfu on Sunday. The day before, the bones of a Dutch tourist were found on the Greek island of Samos in the east, and an American tourist went missing more than a week ago. He went for a trek and didn't come back, assumed to have died due to heat.

Greece's economy, which depends heavily on foreign tourists, has not been spared. The Greek Ministry of Culture declared this week that the Acropolis, the most famous ancient monument in the country overlooking the city, will be closed in the afternoon heat.

Similar regulations were implemented last summer, but they weren't effective until July. The early closure this year was prompted by an incident in which a visitor passed out while awaiting a permit to enter the 3,300-year-old monument, highlighting the risks associated with extreme heat.

"The early start of the heat waves, combined with the dry winter, has led to a very difficult fire season," Greece's minister for civil protection, Vassilis Kikilias, stated. He claimed that the risk of wildfires, which authorities are finding difficult to suppress, was greatly heightened by the combination of high temperatures and strong winds. According to Kikilias, "a new fire breaks out almost every 10 minutes."

Greece's islands and mainland have seen a plethora of fires, some of which are thought to have been started intentionally. The disastrous fires of last summer, which forced thousands of people to flee Rhodes, have put the nation on high alert for this summer. The hot and dry weather will be made worse by gusts of up to 46 miles per hour, according to the National Meteorological Service of Greece.

"Even the smallest fire can rapidly turn into a fiery front," Kikilias added.

(With inputs from agencies)