Greece shut the ancient Acropolis tourist site, suspended schools and stationed medics across Athens on Wednesday as it faced the first heatwave of the summer.

Temperatures were expected to hit 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday and Thursday in parts of the Mediterranean country, driven by southerly winds bringing hot air and dust from North Africa.

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The Acropolis hill, home to one of the world's most famous archaeological sites that includes the Parthenon temple, was closed from noon to 5:00 pm (0900-1400 GMT) and Red Cross staff handed out bottles of water to tourists.