00:02Italy's health ministry placed all of its major cities on red alert on Thursday as a blistering heat wave grips
00:08Europe.
00:09The alerts stretch from Triest in the northeast to Palermo in Sicily.
00:14They signal a health risk for the entire population, not only vulnerable groups.
00:19Meanwhile, the temperature reached 41.2 degrees Celsius in Austria, near the Slovak border, the highest ever recorded in the
00:26country.
00:27It is also facing severe drought, with rainfall levels so far this year far below the long-term average.
00:33In neighboring Hungary, prolonged drought and record low water levels on the Danube River have severely affected the country's only
00:41nuclear power plant, which relies on river water to cool its reactors.
00:45Operators at the PAX plant have reduced output to about 10% of normal production, leading authorities to ask major
00:53industrial users and households to cut electricity consumption.
00:56Germany also faces growing concerns over the impact of drought on transportation and industry, as water levels on the Rhine
01:05and other rivers continue to fall.
01:07The heat wave reached its peak across the Balkans on Thursday, as temperatures neared 40 degrees Celsius and authorities battled
01:15drought and wildfires.
01:16In Serbia, firefighters struggled to contain several blazes after days of dry weather.
01:21In neighboring Croatia, tourists in Dubrovnik sought refuge in shade as temperatures soared along the Adriatic coast.
01:28Europe and Western Western Central alec.
01:31This président did not climb up thelished seven days.
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