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Spain has sweltered in potentially its hottest day ever after a provisional heat record of 47.2C (116.96F) was set in the Andalusia region.
The temperature is waiting to be confirmed as countries in southern Europe continue to experience dangerous levels of heat.
Italy put 16 cities on red alert for health risks and Portugal warned 75% of its regions that they faced a "significantly increased risk" of wildfires.
Image:Locals and tourists cooled off in the sea in Mallorca as Spain potentially recorded its highest temperature ever
Data from Spain's State Meteorological Agency said the potentially unprecedented temperature in the country was recorded in the city of Montoro in Cordoba on Friday afternoon.
If confirmed, it would exceed the country's previous record of 46.9C (116.42F) - set nearby in July 2017.
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It comes only days after Sicily in Italy reported a temperature of 48.8C (119.84F) on Wednesday, which is also awaiting verification and would be the highest ever recorded in Europe.
Europe's current heat record was set in 1977 when Athens hit 48C (118.4F).
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In the southern Spanish province of Granada, where temperatures rose to 45.4C (113.7F) on Friday, few people ventured outside.
Image:People in Cordoba cooled off in a fountain as the province baked in sweltering heat
Those who did sought shade and stopped to take photos of public thermometers displaying the rocketing temperatures.
Ice cream parlours did a brisk trade and some restaurants installed sprinklers to spray mists of water over their guests.
Miriam García, a student, wished she hadn't braved the heat and said: "It is very hot, we have to drink water and put on sun cream all the time, stopping to have a drink at a bar every so often.
"It would be better to be at home than in the street, it's so hot!"
Dominic Roye, a climate scientist at the University of Santiago de Compostela, said the hot air from the Sahara Desert that has brought days of heat and fuelled hundreds of wildfires across Mediterranean nations shows no signs of ending anytime soon.
He said: "The heatwave we are experiencing now is very extreme and a lot of people are saying that it's normal, as we are in summer. But it's not, not this hot."
The World Meteorological Organisation said temperatures being recorded in the Mediterranean region go well beyond the typical hot, dry August weather and instead "are extreme, and what we might expect from climate change".
Image:Spain's provisional heat record was set in the province of Cordoba
With night-time temperatures forecast to exceed 25C (77F) in much of Spain, Mr Roye worried about residents who cannot afford air conditioning and other vulnerable people, like the homeless or outdoor workers.
Spain's State Meteorological Agency noted that 24 heatwaves have been recorded over the last decade, twice the number in each of the previous three decades.
Elsewhere on the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal's government placed 14 of the country's 18 districts on a state of alert through Monday night due to the "significantly increased risk" of wildfires, as temperatures were forecast to surpass 40C (104F).
That would still fall short of Portugal's highest-ever recorded temperature of 47.3C (117.1F) in the inland Alentejo region in 2003.
Image:Wildfires have swept through Sicily, destroying trees and threatening homes. Pic: AP
Italians sought respite at the sea and in the mountains from an anti-cyclone named Lucifer that was bringing hot air from Africa during Italy's peak summer holiday weekend. Authorities raised concerns about older adults and other people at risk as they expanded heat warnings to 16 cities.
Temperatures in Italy rose as high as 37C (98.6F) in Rome, Florence and Bologna, all places that the health ministry put on red alert.
The heatwave in Europe has aggravated wildfires that have consumed forests in southern Italy, Greece and Turkey.
Across the Mediterranean Sea, North Africa has been sizzling for days.
Algeria's National Office of Meteorology issued a special bulletin on Saturday saying temperatures in numerous regions across the north were above 44C (115F) with spikes up to 47C (116.6F).
Scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving extreme events, such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms.
Joe Biden has vowed not to pass on the Afghanistan war to a fifth US president - and has announced he is sending 5,000 more troops to Kabul.
His administration has warned Taliban officials any actions that put American personnel at risk "will be met with a swift and strong US military response".
Mr Biden has defended his decision to withdraw US troops from the country, and says the task of fighting back against Taliban insurgents must fall to Afghan forces.
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Afghan special forces regroup in Kabul
Warning that an indefinite US military presence in Afghanistan is not an option, the president added: "One more year, or five more years, of US military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country. And an endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable to me."
Of the 5,000 soldiers that Mr Biden announced, about 1,000 are newly approved.
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Mr Biden said: "When I came to office, I inherited a deal cut by my predecessor - which he invited the Taliban to discuss at Camp David on the eve of 9/11 of 2019 - that left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a 1 May 2021 deadline on US forces.
"Shortly before he left office, he also drew US forces down to a bare minimum of 2,500.
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"Therefore, when I became president, I faced a choice - follow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our forces and our allies' forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country's civil conflict.
"I was the fourth president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan - two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth."
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Young woman defiant as Taliban nears
The deployment comes as Afghanistan's government clings on to Kabul and Jalalabad, the only remaining big cities in its control as the Taliban advances.
The hardline Islamist militant group has swept through the country in recent weeks. Yesterday, fighters entered Mazar-e-Sharif virtually unopposed, with security forces escaping to neighbouring Uzbekistan.
Late last night, the Taliban said that its rapid gains show that it has been popularly accepted - and attempted to reassure Afghans and foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers, that they would be sage.
"The Islamic Emirate will, as always, protest their life, property and honour and create a peaceful and secure environment for its beloved nation," it said.
Image:Taliban fighters celebrate as they take over another provincial capital after the US withdrawal
Hundreds of people have been sleeping in tents or in the open air in Kabul, with one resident saying: "You can see the fear in their faces."
The UK is among the countries that is currently evacuating British nationals and local translators - and this weekend, 600 troops are being sent to assist with this effort.
According to The Sunday Telegraph, Britain's ambassador to Afghanistan Sir Laurie Bristow is going to be flown out of the country by tonight.
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Taliban now only seven miles from Kabul
Ben Wallace, the UK's defence secretary, has warned it is "arrogant" to think the UK could unilaterally prevent Afghanistan falling back into the grip of the Taliban.
Afghanistan's president, Ashraf Ghani, gave a televised speech yesterday in which he vowed not to give up on the "achievements" of the last 20 years, when US soldiers first toppled the Taliban.
Peace talks between the Taliban and the US have continued in Doha, Qatar, with warnings that a regime installed by force will not be recognised - all the while militants continue to seize control of Afghanistan.
Tweeting about Mr Biden's latest statement, Conservative MP, former soldier and chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Tom Tugendhat wrote: "President Biden isn't handing over a smouldering conflict, he's seeding a new conflagration."
A powerful earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti, killing at least 304 people and injuring more than 1,800.
The 7.2-magnitude quake hit the west of the country on Saturday morning, toppling and damaging buildings including churches and hotels.
The prime minister said there was "extensive damage" and declared a month-long state of emergency.
Haiti is still recovering from a devastating 2010 earthquake.
The epicentre of Saturday's quake was about 12km (7.5 miles) from the town of Saint-Louis du Sud, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
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The tremor was felt in the densely-populated capital of Port-au-Prince, some 125km away, and in neighbouring countries.
"Lots of homes are destroyed, people are dead and some are at the hospital," Christella Saint Hilaire, who lives near the epicentre, told AFP news agency.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he had mobilised a team to work on the relief effort.
"The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble," he said. "We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people."
Mr Henry later revealed he had flown in a plane over the city of Cayes.
Je viens de survoler, à basse altitude, la ville des #Cayes pour prendre connaissance de l’étendue des dégâts en vue de mieux canaliser les interventions d’urgence.#Haïtipic.twitter.com/QmYAgRhkQz
US President Joe Biden authorised an "immediate US response" to help the country and said USAID would work to support efforts to "assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild".
"In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake," he said.
The USGS earlier warned that the earthquake could result in thousands of fatalities and injuries. It also said at least six aftershocks had been felt in the region including one measuring 5.1 magnitude.
EPA
Frantz Duval, editor-in-chief of Haiti's Le Nouvelliste newspaper, tweeted that two hotels were among the buildings destroyed in the town of Les Cayes. He said the local hospital was overwhelmed.
"Slowly, strongly and for very long seconds the earth shook in Haiti on 14 August, 2021 around 8:30 am," he wrote.
Reporters at Le Nouvelliste later said the majority of churches and hotels on the south coast had collapsed or suffered major damage.
Archdeacon Abiade Lozama, head of an Episcopal church in Les Cayes, told the New York Times: "The streets are filled with screaming. People are searching, for loved ones or resources, medical help, water."
EPA
Photos shared on social media showed damaged buildings and piles of rubble after the quake.
Leila Bourahla, Haiti director of Save the Children, told the New York Times it would take days to assess the damage but "it is clear that this is a massive humanitarian emergency".
Naomi Verneus, a 34-year-old resident of the capital Port-au-Prince, told the Associated Press news agency she was woken up by the earthquake and that her bed was shaking.
"I woke up and didn't have time to put my shoes on. We lived [through] the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later remembered my two kids and my mother were still inside. My neighbour went in and told them to get out. We ran to the street," she said.
The 2010 earthquake in Haiti killed more than 200,000 people and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and the economy.
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
A powerful earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti, killing at least 304 people.
The 7.2-magnitude quake hit the west of the country on Saturday morning, toppling and damaging buildings including churches and hotels.
The prime minister said there was "extensive damage" in some areas, and declared a month-long state of emergency.
Haiti is still recovering from a devastating 2010 earthquake.
The epicentre of Saturday's quake was about 12km (7.5 miles) from the town of Saint-Louis du Sud, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
Getty Images
The tremor was felt in the densely-populated capital of Port-au-Prince, some 125km away, and in neighbouring countries.
"Lots of homes are destroyed, people are dead and some are at the hospital," Christella Saint Hilaire, who lives near the epicentre, told AFP news agency.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he had mobilised a team to work on the relief effort.
"The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble," he said. "We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people."
Mr Henry later revealed he had flown in a plane over the city of Cayes.
Je viens de survoler, à basse altitude, la ville des #Cayes pour prendre connaissance de l’étendue des dégâts en vue de mieux canaliser les interventions d’urgence.#Haïtipic.twitter.com/QmYAgRhkQz
US President Joe Biden authorised an "immediate US response" to help the country and said USAID would work to support efforts to "assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild".
"In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake," he said.
The USGS earlier warned that the earthquake could result in thousands of fatalities and injuries. It also said at least six aftershocks had been felt in the region including one measuring 5.1 magnitude.
EPA
Frantz Duval, editor-in-chief of Haiti's Le Nouvelliste newspaper, tweeted that two hotels were among the buildings destroyed in the town of Les Cayes. He said the local hospital was overwhelmed.
"Slowly, strongly and for very long seconds the earth shook in Haiti on 14 August, 2021 around 8:30 am," he wrote.
Reporters at Le Nouvelliste later said the majority of churches and hotels on the south coast had collapsed or suffered major damage.
Archdeacon Abiade Lozama, head of an Episcopal church in Les Cayes, told the New York Times: "The streets are filled with screaming. People are searching, for loved ones or resources, medical help, water."
EPA
Photos shared on social media showed damaged buildings and piles of rubble after the quake.
Leila Bourahla, Haiti director of Save the Children, told the New York Times it would take days to assess the damage but "it is clear that this is a massive humanitarian emergency".
Naomi Verneus, a 34-year-old resident of the capital Port-au-Prince, told the Associated Press news agency she was woken up by the earthquake and that her bed was shaking.
"I woke up and didn't have time to put my shoes on. We lived [through] the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later remembered my two kids and my mother were still inside. My neighbour went in and told them to get out. We ran to the street," she said.
The 2010 earthquake in Haiti killed more than 200,000 people and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and the economy.
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
