Italian region of Calabria hit by wild fires, Sicily faces blackouts

Firefighters battled blazes in the southern Italian region of Calabria and properties on the island of Sicily suffered blackouts as temperatures surged again during a heat wave that has caused chaos across parts of Europe.

Sicily's civil protection agency said the temperature in some areas in eastern Sicily rose to 47 Celsius (116.6 Fahrenheit) on Sunday, close to a record European high of 48.8 Celsius recorded two years ago.

Some areas close to the city of Catania in the east suffered power cuts, which officials blamed in part on the heat.

Fires were burning in woods and vegetation in various parts of Calabria, the most southerly part of the Italian mainland, after temperatures climbed over the past week.

Additional teams of firefighters were called in from the regions of Campania and Lazio, as well as the Sicilian city of Messina.

A heat wave has hit southern Europe during the peak summer tourist season, breaking records - including in Rome - and bringing warnings about an increased risk of deaths.

Italy's CGIL union has called on the government to allow temporary lay-offs in the coming days for workers affected by the heat.

On the Greek island of Rhodes, thousands of tourists and residents fled a wildfire, with many evacuated on private boats from beaches as flames menaced resorts and coastal villages.

Italy is one of the European countries most affected by climate change and suffered deadly floods in May.

Parts of northern Italy have also seen intense hail storms as the hot weather broke down there in the last few days.

"The effects of our climate becoming more tropical are changing everything and have a direct impact on the economy," Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin told La Repubblica newspaper on Sunday.