A Cyprus health official said a second elderly person has died from heatstroke after a weeklong heatwave that baked the east Mediterranean island nation with reportedly record temperatures for the month of June.
An 84-year-old woman died a day after being admitted to hospital on Friday, said State Health Services Organisation spokesman Charalambos Charilaou.
He said another three elderly patients are in a serious condition.
![People sit under a tree for shade amid hot weather in a square in Nicosia (Petros Karadjias/AP)](https://www.irishnews.com/resizer/v2/QBMEZCR7FVLG7GS2MXI3NO6DMY.jpg?auth=099bd5be0141ab80552af399b5043d8327b0f0223784da12e3d6f3c92586c50b&width=800&height=533)
Temperatures on the island have soared all week, exceeding 40C (104F).
The high temperatures and strong winds have also hampered firefighting efforts, including in a mountainous area south-west of the capital, Nicosia, where more than 1.2 square miles (3.2 sq km) of forest were scorched, threatening a village.
Last week, 49 residents in two communities in the island’s western Paphos district were evacuated to hotels as a wildfire threatened their homes, while aircraft from Greece and Jordan joined the firefighting efforts.