ITALIANS CITIES BRACE FOR 40-DEGREE HEATWAVE

ITALIANS CITIES BRACE FOR 40-DEGREE HEATWAVE

(ANSA) - Rome, August 19 - Italians are bracing for a heatwave that is expected to lift temperatures up to 40 degrees celsius in several cities including Rome, Trieste and Turin for the next week.

According to the Civil Protection Department, 11 cities are expected to be hit by rising temperatures from Bolzano and Bologna, Perugia in the centre and Latina, south of Rome.

The central region of Umbria surrounding Perugia on Friday declared a "state of emergency" for four days from Sunday to Wednesday in anticipation of the sweltering temperatures.

Department officials which monitor 28 cities and towns said temperatures were running five degrees higher than the seasonal average and the latest heatwave would strike Saturday and continue until the end of next week.

Capri, the popular tourist island off the coast of Naples, will not be spared either as temperatures are expected to reach 37 degrees in the next few days.

On Friday Venice issued new health guidelines to protect the elderly and children from excessive heat.

"Our objective is to be as timely as possible in taking action and in particular action to help people in difficulty and to intervene where there are cases of sudden illness, caused by the heat," said Luca Coletto, regional councillor for health.

Those most at risk from high temperatures include the elderly, in particular those older than 65 years of age with chronic illness, children less four years old and diabetics, the Venice guidelines noted.

Earlier this summer, there was a brief heatwave in Italy for a few days in July but the latest rise in temperatures is expected to last longer.