Heatwave kills three more in Spain

Temperatures over 40 C (104 F) were blamed for three more deaths in Spain today, raising the toll of a week-long heatwave to 13.

Three elderly women, two aged 85 and one 86, died in the southern cities of Cordoba and Seville.

All three had suffered from chronic respiratory and heart illnesses that were aggravated by the heat.

Television and radio broadcasts have urged people, especially children and elderly, to drink a lot of water, limit exercise outdoors and wear loose-fitting clothing.

The high temperatures have also exacerbated forest fires burning in several regions of Spain, mainly Extremadura in the south-west.