Five deaths have been reported in Italy as extreme heat continues to affect parts of southern Europe.

By 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Wednesday, temperatures had already exceeded 30 degrees Celsius in Sicily.

Turkey and Greece were also experiencing high temperatures, with the Turkish city of Istanbul reaching 36 degrees Celsius and the Greek island of Lesbos reaching 38 degrees Celsius at the same time.

In Athens, the Acropolis and other popular ancient sites were to be closed during the midday hours.

Delivery service employees, construction workers, and agricultural workers have also been instructed to stop work.

Greek law requires such measures for outdoor work when temperatures climb above 40 degrees Celsius, as is expected on Wednesday and in the coming days.

Doctors have warned that elderly people and small children in particular should not spend time outdoors and that people should drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol.

The Italian authorities said there have been at least five deaths in the southern Apulia region alone in the last few days that could be related to the high temperatures.

In Palermo, the capital of Sicily, the highest heat alert level is in effect.

Heat warnings are also in place in more than a dozen other cities.

A high-pressure area from Africa, which meteorologists have named Kamel, is expected to bring temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius to the south of Italy.

Turkey is also groaning under the heat.

On Tuesday, temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius were recorded in six of the country’s 81 provinces, and temperatures are expected to climb even higher on Wednesday.

The heat is exacerbated by drought, which enables forest fires to spread more rapidly.

The emergency services are currently battling three active fires. 

(dpa/NAN)