Spain sizzles in record heat as fires blaze

Madrid: Spain saw its highest temperature on record on Saturday as a heatwave on the Iberian peninsula drove the mercury to 47.4 degrees Celsius (117.3 Fahrenheit), according to provisional data from the state meteorological agency.

The temperature peaked around five pm local time in the southern town of Cordoba, the agency said, passing the previous record set at the same measuring station in July 2017 by one-tenth of a degree.

"If confirmed, it would be the highest record reliably measured in Spain," agency spokesman Ruben del Campo said.