The heat causes fires and premature deaths in Europe. When the air conditioning failed on a long trip in the bus, the temperature inside rose between 40 and 45 degrees, according to a Finnish vacationer.
In Britain, the health-threatening heat has broken heat records. At its worst, the temperature in London has risen above 40 degrees.
The authorities have urged Britons to stay at home, but at the same time we are in the middle of the holiday season and people are still traveling.
Finn Asko-Pekka Karsikas, 31, is on holiday in the UK with friends. The two-week trip fell in the middle of a historically difficult heat wave.
Karsikas and his friends found themselves in a distressing situation over the weekend when the air conditioning broke down on a long-distance bus during the trip from London to the coast in Bournemouth.
– I haven’t been in such a hot place other than the sauna. It was pretty crazy, says Karsikas.
According to his estimate, the temperature rose between 40 and 45 degrees. Especially the children on the bus suffer from the situation.
– I also had to wash myself with water, but it didn’t help. The humidity and heat were so intense that the body did not cool down at all. Dizziness and shortness of breath.
The bus trip to the coast was supposed to take two hours, but the journey stretched to three hours. The bus had to stop due to a traffic accident on the other side of the highway.
– I was about to have a panic attack a couple of times. The most unpleasant bus trip I’ve ever been on, says Karsikas.
Karsikas says that the driver kept the passenger well informed about how the situation was progressing. However, the situation was particularly distressing because Karsikas had heard about the long waiting times for ambulance assistance.
In Britain, it has been warned that hospitals and medical transport may become congested due to the heat. More staff have been hired for the telephone emergency with the help of additional funding from the government.
The London Ambulance Service received 6,600 calls related to the heat wave on Monday. For example, more people fainted than usual, and fainting is believed to continue during the heat wave.
Young people are partying on the coast, the elderly are nowhere to be seen
Now Asko-Pekka Karsikas and his friends are on the coast in Bournemouth, where the temperature has remained more moderate over the weekend between 25 and 28 degrees.
According to Karsikas, the beaches are full of young people who are “in a party mood”. Old people have not been seen much in the street scene. The houses do not have air conditioning and the temperatures inside rise to forty, according to Karsikas.
– Our accommodation has carpet, and the air does not circulate. If you leave the window closed, the smell is very musty and musty.
Karsikas says that the phone is traveling in the heat. The screen does not work properly and the device is generally sluggish.
Soon the friends will continue their journey by bus to Manchester.
– That bus ride is a bit scary. If the air conditioning breaks down there again, it will be like hell, says Karsikas.
He plans to prepare for the trip by buying cold packs and taking plenty of hydration with him.
– This is not a situation you would expect, at least in Britain. I hope everything goes well. I miss how well everything is managed in Finland.
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