QUEUE? QUE?
Act now...or extreme weather will kill 152,000 of us
CHAOTIC security checks at Spanish airports descended into farce yesterday as British holidaymakers were waved through with barely a glance at their passports.
In an apparent U-turn by airport authorities, tourists braced for long delays due to new EU security measures were given only cursory checks.
Stricter security procedures for UK travellers from outside the EU’s open border Schengen zone led to queues of up to four hours last week.
Airlines predicted this weekend would be one of the busiest of the year, with around five million people flying in and out of European airports, and advised passengers to turn up early.
But families leaving and arriving at the Costa del Sol yesterday said they EXTREME weather could kill up to 152,000 a year in Europe by the end of the century – 50 times more than now, scientists warn.
Heatwaves would cause 99 per cent of the deaths – mostly across southern Europe – with wildfires, droughts, floods, cold snaps and windstorms adding to the toll if we don’t act now to cut greenhouse gas emissions, says the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.
The warning came as five people were confirmed dead in the Lucifer heatwave – fuelled by hot winds from Africa – which has left Europe sweltering in its hottest summer for 14 years.
The latest victim was a woman whose car was swept away by a mudslide amid torrential rain in humid conditions near the ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy. Temperatures hit 47C (116.6F) yesterday in Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Croatia. And 11 countries – including Serbia, Hungary, Romania, Croatia and Poland – have declared “dangerous” weather.
But Britain is set for more wind and rain. Temperatures hit just 18C (64F) yesterday and experts say summer is on hold for a week.