Hundreds need medical care as heatwave hits Israel

About 370 people needed emergency medical care and firetrucks and aircraft tackled several blazes throughout Israel on Sunday, amidst a major heatwave.

Temperatures hit 47 degrees Celsius in southern Israel. A spokesman for the emergency medical service said 172 people have lost conscience and 197 others needed emergency medical attention since the beginning of heatwave on Sunday.

An eight-year-old girl was evacuated to a hospital in a critical condition after she went hiking with her family in the northern Gilboa Mountain. At least two men were evacuated to hospitals due to hyperthermia, the spokesman said.

A community of 350 people southeast of Jerusalem was briefly evacuated after a blaze flared up in a nearby forest. A spokesperson for the Fire and Rescue Services said eight teams and four firefighting aircraft put off the fire.

He said dozens of teams were called to fight fires that broke out near Route 1, the main road between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the East Jerusalem refugee camp of Shuafat, the city of Netanya outside Tel Aviv, and the northern city of Haifa.

While heatwaves and blazes frequently occur in Israel during this time of the year, the current heat load was exceptionally high, according to experts.

Lior Sudri, a forecaster with the weather service of Meteotech, told Ynet web news that the temperatures could approach records for the month of May.

"The extreme heat is caused by a combination of a weather system coming from the north and hot weather from the deserts of Libya," Meteotech said in a statement.

According to the Israel Meteorological Service, the heatwave is forecasted to peak on Monday, with 50 degrees Celsius in the Jordan Valley. Endit