Southern Italy has recently been hit by an extreme high pressure system called Lucifer. In Syracuse, Sicily, local weather authorities have reported a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius, a temperature that if confirmed by Italian and international authorities would be the highest ever recorded in Europe.

The governor of Sicily, Nello Musumeci, has declared a state of emergency for the mountainous region in the northern part of the island, which includes World Heritage sites.

In Sardinia, over 20,000 hectares have burned down in the last month in the worst fires in decades.

So far, at least one person has died as a result of the extensive fires in southern Italy.

Mayor Giuseppe Falcomata of the southern region of Calabria writes on social media: ”We are losing our history, our identity is turning to ashes, our soul is burning up.”

Source: TT