As China reels under record heatwave, is this the face of future summers?
- Longest period of extreme highs in six decades has hit public health, power supplies and shipping in China, as a severe drought threatens crops
- As extreme heat also sweeps across Europe and the US, scientists see proof of how climate change is making extreme weather the norm globally
There is also a nationwide drought alert in force, for the first time in nearly a decade.
How severe is the heatwave?
The national weather bureau on Tuesday issued a red alert, the most severe warning on a four-tier system, for the 12th day on the trot, state news agency Xinhua reported.
More than 900 million people in at least 17 provinces have been affected by the extreme weather, from southwestern Sichuan to coastal Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the east, as well as top commercial hub Shanghai.
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Wildfires scorch mountainside in southwest China as record heat and drought continue
Several heatstroke cases and at least two deaths have been reported. Animals are also suffering. An eagle overcome by the heat was reported to have plunged into the Yangtze near the eastern city of Nanjing, while in southwestern Chongqing, firefighters had to hose down dehydrated pigs packed into the back of a truck.