Greece shuts Acropolis and two dead in Italy as Europe swelters in heatwave

Soaring temperatures led to authorities closing the Acropolis in Athens (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A heatwave across southern Europe forced authorities in Greece to close the Acropolis for several hours on Wednesday and two firefighters died while putting out a fire in the Basilicata region in southern Italy, Italian authorities said.

Italy added Palermo, Sicily, to the list of 13 cities in the country with a severe heat warning. Elderly people in the city of Verona were urged to stay indoors, while sprinklers were set up to cool passers-by.