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By Susy Hodges

Temperature records are being shattered as large areas of southern Europe continue to swelter in blistering heat.

Rome has recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius, breaking by one degree the previous record set only last year. Tourists in the eternal city have tried to keep cool by splashing water from the fountains over their faces and standing under giant fans set up outside the Colosseum.

Dozens of people collapsed on Tuesday because of the extreme heat and there was a 20 percent rise in the number of people visiting the emergency rooms at hospitals across Italy where special so-called ‘heat codes’ have been set up to fast-track treatment for those suffering from heat-related symptoms.

The EU’s emergency response coordination centre has issued red alerts for high temperatures for most of Italy, northern eastern Spain and much of the Balkans.

The intense heatwave has helped trigger multiple wildfires across the continent, especially in Greece.

But it’s not just southern Europe that is gripped by an intensifying heatwave. Millions of people are suffering from extreme heat in the southern United States and in many areas of China whilst parts of East Asia have been hit by severe flooding.

The World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe Hans Kluge warned that the world must look ahead while adapting to the new reality of killer heatwaves and other extreme weather events.

He said there was a desperate need for action to effectively tackle the climate crisis which poses an existential threat to the human race.