Factbox-Europe endures another year of droughts and wildfires

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view shows the Santa Olalla lagoon, the largest permanent lagoon in the Donana wetlands of southern Spain, completely dried out for the second summer in a row amid the country's prolonged drought and the overexploitation of aquifers, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) said, in this picture taken August 9, 2023 and released on August 10, 2023. Carlos Ruiz-CSIC /Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

(Reuters) -Europe is battling the effects of scorching temperatures which have reached worrying levels globally, with July being the hottest month recorded on both land and sea.

Last year, heatwaves resulted in over 61,600 heat-related fatalities across 35 European countries and triggered devastating wildfires. This year, temperatures could exceed Europe's current record of 48.8 degrees Celsius, recorded in Sicily in August 2021.