Temperatures are poised to hit 40C across southern Europe, and British tourists are in the crosshairs. France, Italy and Spain have issued red heat alerts as a furnace of hot air from the Sahara sweeps north. Sources on the ground confirm that holidaymakers are at serious risk of heatstroke and dehydration.
The meteorological office warns that the mercury could breach 42C in parts of central Spain by Thursday. In France, 25 departments are on orange or red alert, with the worst expected in the Rhone valley and the Riviera. Italian authorities have activated emergency protocols in Rome and Milan.
The British Foreign Office has issued a travel advisory urging tourists to stay indoors between 11am and 4pm. Local hospitals are bracing for a surge in heat-related admissions. This is not a drill.
The numbers are stark. Uncovered documents from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reveal a 40% rise in heatstroke cases among tourists in the past three years. The money is in the chaos.
Private ambulance services are hiking prices by 300% for emergency evacuations. Tour operators are scrambling to cancel excursions. Ryanair is offering refunds for flights to affected regions.
But the real story is the failure of governments to protect the vulnerable. The elderly and those with pre-existing conditions are being left to fend for themselves. Meanwhile, the corporate sector cashes in.
Water prices have tripled at airport kiosks in Barcelona. An investigation by this newsroom has found that hotel chains are not required to air-condition common areas. They are legally exempt.
Tourists are being sold package deals without a mention of the lethal heat. The Foreign Office should be issuing compulsory warnings. It does not.
The public health system in these countries is under strain. You can feel the weight of the air before you step off the plane. The heat is a weapon.
It is indiscriminate. It kills.
