Ambulance calls rise amid heatwave; doctors warn of faintings and more traffic crashes
Emergency teams report more collapses and traffic accidents while UHMR warns daytime highs of 40–41°C; doctors urge people to avoid going out between 11:00 and 17:00.
Emergency services in North Macedonia report a clear rise in ambulance interventions as a heatwave grips the country, with call volumes remaining high even during the extended weekend when authorities urged people to follow medical advice.
“It is specific that the number of emergency interventions has increased. Which means that people who really need urgent help are calling our numbers. Faintings are in first place, notably during this period we have an increased number of traffic accidents with cars and motorcycles, many motorcycle accidents. All of this is a result of the raised temperatures and failure to adapt to the temperature,” said Margarita Atanasovska-Tripunosvska.
Emergency teams say collapses (faintings) lead the list of causes for calls, and they highlight a simultaneous rise in road crashes involving both cars and motorbikes. Telephone lines to ambulance services have not eased, they add, despite the weekend when citizens were expected to heed doctors’ recommendations.
Forecast and expected peak temperatures
“Our area is under the influence of a warm air mass from the south. The weather in the coming days will remain sunny and very warm with daytime temperatures that, especially along the Vardar valley, will exceed in places 40 degrees. Towards the end of the week for Skopje and the surrounding area temperatures are expected to reach 40 and 41 degrees. Despite the hot weather from Thursday to the end of the week in the afternoon hours there will be conditions for local development of unstable clouds with short heavy rain and thunder,” the Hydrometeorological Service (UHMR) warned.
Authorities say the heatwave is expected to persist through the end of the week with spots exceeding 40°C, and brief afternoon instability could bring localized downpours and thunderstorms even as overall temperatures stay very high.
Doctors have appealed to citizens to avoid going outdoors between 11:00 and 17:00 unless strictly necessary, and to follow preparedness recommendations if they must go out — paying particular attention to the interaction between air-conditioned interiors and hot outdoor temperatures.
Photo: press material from the event
