Cyprus reports second death from heatstroke as temperatures soar

(Petros Karadjias/AP)

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)

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.