Portugal's weather service said the capital reached 44 degrees Celsius on Saturday, surpassing the city's previous record of 43 set in 1981.

The day's hottest temperature of 46.8 degrees was recorded at Alvega in the centre of Portugal, almost surpassing the 47.4 degrees set in the Alentejo in 2003.

The hot, dusty conditions across the Iberian Peninsula are the result of a mass of hot air from Africa.