France says 40 drowned as heatwave tightens grip across Europe

PARIS: Forty people have died by drowning in France in recent days as they tried to cool off during an intense heatwave sweeping across much of Europe, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday.

France was among several European countries facing extreme temperatures, alongside Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Spain, with record heat in some areas disrupting schools and transport services. According to the World Meteorological Organisation, Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, increasing the likelihood of prolonged heat episodes.

France under severe alert

Meteo France said much of the country was under severe heat alert on Tuesday, with temperatures around 40°C expected and highs of up to 43°C forecast in parts of western France. France had just recorded its hottest afternoon and night since records began in 1947. Forecasters said 54 departments had been placed under red alert in an unprecedented development.

As people sought relief, many entered canals and rivers. French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari said she understood the impulse to escape the heat but cautioned against swimming in unauthorised or risky places. Speaking before an emergency meeting on the heatwave, Lecornu said the latest figures reported to the government showed a sharp toll from drownings.

“A sad scourge when ⁠it comes to drownings, as the latest figures just reported to us show 40 deaths since June 18, most of them young people”, she stated.

In southeast France, a prosecutor in Carpentras said first responders on Monday were unable to revive two children, aged 2 and 4, who were found unconscious by their mother in the family car outside their home.

Transport and business affected

In Paris, commuters endured oppressive conditions after sleepless nights in homes not well suited to high temperatures. Some train services were cancelled, including routes between Paris and Brussels.

Business groups also said the heat was slowing economic activity. Patrick Martin, head of France’s MEDEF employers group, told BFM TV that companies were trying, where possible, to apply measures aimed at protecting workers.

"France is running at a slow pace. Businesses, as far as possible, are implementing recommendations to protect their employees,"

Heat pattern and wider European impact

The current heatwave is being driven by an Omega block, a weather pattern shaped like the Greek letter that traps a dome of hot air between cooler systems on either side, allowing heat to build over successive days. Climate change is intensifying both heatwaves and storms, raising temperatures further and increasing rainfall.

Meteo France said the present conditions were comparable to the August 2003 heatwave, which lasted 16 days and, according to the European Union, caused an estimated 80,000 excess deaths across Europe. It remained unclear how long the current episode would continue.

In Italy, the health ministry issued its highest alert level for 15 cities, while authorities moved to limit work in some sectors. Storms were expected later on Tuesday over the Alps and Apennines, with forecasts of heavy rain, strong winds and hail.

Britain was also facing intense heat, with the Met Office forecasting temperatures of up to 37°C in southern England on Tuesday, potentially setting a new June record, before a further rise on Wednesday and Thursday. Dozens of schools planned to close early because their buildings were not suited to such conditions. Network Rail urged passengers to travel only if necessary later in the week as temperatures neared 39°C, with speed restrictions likely to affect services. In London, overnight thunderstorms linked to the same unstable weather pattern caused additional disruption, including at Heathrow Airport.

Spain’s meteorological agency issued red alerts in parts of the country, warning that temperatures could climb to 44°C. Early on Tuesday, around 30 monitoring stations were still showing temperatures above 25°C, indicating little overnight relief. Madrid opened climate shelters for vulnerable residents, including homeless people. Juan Carlos Arellano of Madrid’s Samur Social said the centres would provide cooling, food, showers and a place to rest. In northern Spain, dozens of municipalities cancelled traditional bonfires because of wildfire risks.

Elsewhere, high temperatures in Belgium forced a primary school in Tervuren near Brussels to move final exams to a nearby church. In Switzerland, authorities in the northeastern canton of St. Gallen restricted water withdrawal from rivers and lakes, citing low surface and groundwater levels along with high temperatures.

As southern Europe sweltered, some travellers headed north in search of milder weather. In Stockholm, German tourist Katharina Rexing said she had considered Croatia but chose Sweden because it was cooler, with temperatures at 22°C in the Swedish capital compared with 30°C in Zagreb.