At least 16 people, mostly elderly, have died in northern Italy over the past two days from causes linked to a week-long heat wave, as temperatures in the country remained in the 30s Celsius (90s Fahrenheit). At least five people died in Vicenza, in northern Italy, and four in Milan, on Tuesday, Italian news media reported. The deaths have been linked to the heat, as doctors say it might have aggravated heart and other medical problems. Blasts of torrid air from northern Africa were blamed for the rise in temperatures and air conditioning use sparked record demand for electricity. Concern for the elderly was heightened early this week, when Italy's statistics bureau said there were 20,000 more deaths in Italy in the summer of 2003, when Europe baked under a long heat wave, compared with the previous summer. Last year, the government had put the death toll in Italy from the 2003 heat wave at under 8,000. Most of the victims were elderly, The Associated Press reported.
