Romania Heatwave Kills 13; Hundreds Hospitalized

29 July 2005 -- At least 13 people have died of sunstroke and dehydration and hundreds more have been hospitalized as a result of a heatwave that hit Romania two days ago.

Health officials said today that all of the confirmed deaths have occurred in the capital, Bucharest.

They said there had been 1,300 ambulance requests in the past 30 hours, with people suffering from sunstroke, dehydration, and high blood pressure. Many people fainted because of the heat.

Meteorologists expect the heatwave to last until 31 July, with rains expected early next week.

(Reuters)