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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Angela Giuffrida in Rome and Ajit Niranjan Europe environment correspondent

‘A horrible way to die’: how extreme heat is killing Italian workers

Road workers laying materials during the heatwave in Turin.
Road workers laying materials during the heatwave in Turin. Photograph: Tino Romano/Ansa/Zuma/Shutterstock

Stefano Olmastroni, a cleaner, had been tidying shelves in a supermarket selling farm produce in Florence shortly before he died on 13 July, when Italy was in the midst of an anticyclone called Cerberus that pushed temperatures beyond 40C.

Earlier in the day, the 61-year-old told relatives that he was struggling to work in the heat and was feeling sluggish. He was looking forward to resting on his day off the day after.

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