by Playfuls Staff |
26th July 2006
Near record heat in Europe has forced officials in the Netherlands to cancel a four-day cycling event in Drenthe hours before it was to start. [more]
The event committee was warned early Tuesday that a heat advisory had been issued by the Dutch health service, Expatica reported. Temperatures Wednesday were expected to reach 35C (95 Fahrenheit) -- hot enough to endanger the 15,000 registered participants.
A four-day cycling event was canceled in Nijmegen last week after two cyclists died on the first day.
At least 23 heat-related deaths have been reported in France, provoking memories of the brutal 2003 heat wave that killed an estimated 15,000 people.
A German truck driver died in the cab of his big rig in Austria from a heart attack blamed on the heat, Deutsche Welle reported, and much of Italy continued to cook in the heat with only occasional relief from summer thunderstorms.
© 2006 UPI
