The number of calls for medical and technical assistance from abroad to the Touring roadside assistance organisation has increased by a quarter compared to July last year.
In the month of July, Touring processed 26,055 calls, up 26% compared to the previous year. Many calls were related to forest fires in southern Europe and hailstorms in Italy, the organisation announced in a press release on Sunday.
The number of interventions also increased (by 6%) to 6,285. This involved 5,065 technical cases and 1,220 cases of a medical nature. The increase in interventions was mainly due to the prolonged heat.
Touring also repatriated a total of 555 people, compared to 718 a year earlier. Domestically, Touring processed 51,614 calls, indicating that quite a few people also spent their holidays in Belgium.
