Two die as Greece swelters in record heatwave

ATHENS, June 25 (Reuters) Two people died in Greece today as a heatwave sent temperatures soaring to 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 Fahrenheit) in what is set to be the hottest June ever recorded.

The government ordered all public offices to work only half days on Tuesday and Wednesday, closing at midday to reduce energy consumption and allow people to stay out of the sun at the hottest time of the day.

''Hospitals and other emergency services will operate normally,'' the interior ministry said in a statement, adding that public transport should not be affected.

Athenians heading for work dragged themselves out of the city's metro clutching newspapers over their heads to try stave off the blazing sun, while tourists with bottles of water sheltered under the few trees in the city centre.

''Two elderly people in the Greek regional towns of Larisa and Aigio died due to complications from heatstroke,'' Athanasios Giannopoulos, the country's deputy health minister told state-run NET television.

The victims were already unwell and their condition was exacerbated by the heat, hospital officials said.

The high temperatures have spread across the eastern Mediterranean with the island of Cyprus also being hit hard.

Temperatures in Cyprus were about 43 degrees Celsius today. One person died of suspected heatstroke today in the southern town of Limassol, authorities said.

At least 19 people died in Romania last week from the heatwave that has gripped parts of southeastern Europe and the Middle East.

Across Greece, local authorities have set up large air-conditioned halls to provide shelter for the elderly and people with heart problems.

Authorities have also told Athenians to avoid unnecessary travel and to switch off energy-hungry home appliances including washing machines, boilers and air conditioners.

Increased use of air conditioners has, however, raised the spectre of blackouts during the week, as people who escaped to the beaches over the weekend return home.

Power usage hit a new record today. State energy utility Public Power Corp. initiated small localised power outages in outlying parts of the country such as the Aegean islands of Lesvos, Chios and Syros.

REUTERS SKB PM1800