The heatwave is hitting southern Europe hard with deadly forest fires and widespread power outages.
Several people have died in south-eastern Turkey in connection with forest fires, and one person is reported dead in Greece.
"Eleven people have lost their lives," writes Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on X about the damage situation after a fire 30 kilometres south of the city of Diyarbakır in the south-eastern part of the country.
Over 40 people have been injured.
The fire is said to have started late on Thursday and then spread quickly with the help of strong winds.
Strong winds hinder
The strong winds have also hindered firefighting efforts in Greece.
The extensive wildfires – which are raging in several parts of the country – have so far claimed one life, according to the authorities.
On Friday, firefighters, among other things, water-bombed a large wildfire near Vari, three miles from Athens. On Wednesday, the authorities went out and urged residents in the area to evacuate.
Water-bombing planes and helicopters are helping to try to control the fires.
Major power outages in the Balkans
On Friday afternoon, the western Balkans were hit by widespread power outages due to overloaded power grids caused by the increasing demand for electricity in the heat.
Montenegro's largest electricity supplier announced that power outages were occurring in most of the country.
Similar reports came from the southern coastal region of Croatia, from the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, and from Albania – but by evening, the problems were largely resolved in the region.
The hot weather is also causing problems in North Macedonia. There, the authorities are urging people to stay indoors and avoid doing heavy work during the hottest hours of the day.
The number of forest fires has also increased in the country, with twelve registered in the past 24 hours, according to the country's authorities.
