Tragedy of Madrid street sweeper highlights how heatwaves kill

Three hours into his shift as a street sweeper in Madrid on a summer afternoon when temperatures went above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), Jose Antonio Gonzalez fainted from heatstroke. He died the next day in hospital.

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Miguel Angel Gonzalez poses at his home in Madrid holding a picture of his father, Jose Antonio Gonzalez, on September 26, 2024. Three hours into his shift as a street-sweeper in Madrid on a summer afternoon with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, Jose Antonio Gonzalez fainted from heatstroke. He died the following day in hospital. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)

2024-10-08 10:36:16

Three hours into his shift as a street sweeper in Madrid on a summer afternoon when temperatures went above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), Jose Antonio Gonzalez fainted from heatstroke. He died the next day in hospital.

With the Spanish capital on heatwave alert, the 60-year-old had set out for work that day in July 2022 with two two-litre bottles of water and a spray bottle to cool off.

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