Without human-induced climate change, the events this month would have been "extremely rare", according to a study by World Weather Attribution, a global team of scientists that examines the role played by climate change in extreme weather.
The heat, with temperatures topping 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), is well in excess of what usually attracts tourists who flock to southern European beaches.
Neighbouring Algeria deployed some 8,000 firefighters to bring its deadly fires under control, authorities said.
Malta, another major Mediterranean holiday destination, suffered a raft of power cuts across the country, affecting its largest hospital, after a week-long heatwave.
"I have been through 65 summers in my lifetime... and what I am seeing now is not normal, we can no longer deny it, climate change is changing our lives," Mayor Giuseppe Sala said on social media.
Persons:
Rhodes Blaze, RHODES, Ramzi Boudina, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rhodes, Lanai Karpataki, Europe's sweltering, Giuseppe Sala, Angeliki Koutantou, Renee Maltezou, Federico Maccioni, Alvise, Lamine Chikhi, Jana Choukeir, Nayera Abdalla, David Stanway, Keith Weir, Janet Lawrence
Organizations:
REUTERS, Thomson
Locations:
Algeria, Rhodes, Palermo, Tunisia, Malta, ALGIERS, Sicily, China, United States, Europe, North Africa, Bejaia, Kiotari, Europe's, Milan