At least 40 people have drowned in France after swimming in unsupervised areas to escape a severe heatwave gripping the country and much of Europe. According to Antigua News Room, the deaths occurred as France recorded its hottest day since weather records began in 1947.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting on Tuesday and confirmed that the victims since Thursday were predominantly young people. "They are the first victims of the crisis we are facing," he said, describing the fatalities as a "tragic scourge" as temperatures in some regions surpassed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Meteo-France reported that the town of Les Herbiers in the southwest reached 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday — the highest recorded anywhere in the country during the event. The national temperature indicator, an average of daytime and nighttime temperatures across 30 weather stations, reached 29.8C, according to provisional data from the weather service.
Sports Minister Marina Ferrari urged caution, telling France Inter radio that "to go swimming in unauthorised areas during a heatwave is not something to take lightly."
The heatwave also claimed the lives of two children, aged two and four, who were found unconscious in a car outside their home in Carpentras in southeastern France. Local authorities said the extreme heat was the most likely cause. Three additional people, aged between 80 and 95, died from heat-related health complications in the Bordeaux region, local official Sophie Brocas told France TV.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned that the coming days posed "serious health risks" for the continent. "For thousands of people across Europe, extreme temperatures, without action, can quickly become a matter of life and death," said Mary Friel, the IFRC's senior climate policy officer, speaking at a press conference in Geneva. She urged the public to take the heatwave seriously and to look out for the most vulnerable.
The heat shattered temperature records in multiple French cities including Bordeaux and Poitiers, strained power grids and public services, and prompted authorities to place 54 areas under a red heatwave alert. Schools across the country closed early or adjusted timetables. France has limited air conditioning infrastructure, compounding the danger.
Paris's iconic landmarks were not spared. The Louvre, the world's most visited museum, announced it would close two hours early — at 4 pm local time — from Wednesday to Saturday. Museum management stated the heatwave had made "visiting and working conditions difficult during the hottest hours of the day," noting that heat builds up most intensely toward the end of the day, worsened by high visitor numbers. The Eiffel Tower also announced an early closure at 4 pm on Tuesday.
Meteo-France warned that Thursday would remain intensely hot before a gradual cooling from the Atlantic coast begins on Friday.
The heatwave has swept across much of Europe. Britain's Met Office warned on Monday that a four-day heatwave could push temperatures above 39C (102F) in parts of the country, threatening to break June records of 35.6C set in 1957 and 1976. The United Kingdom had already recorded its highest May temperature on record just weeks prior. Dozens of schools in England also closed early on Tuesday and were expected to remain shut for two more days.
In Spain, San Sebastian — located in the traditionally cooler north — was forecast to reach 40C (104F), more than double the city's historic average for June 22, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor. Italy's health ministry issued its highest-level heat alert for 15 cities and moved to curtail work in certain sectors.
Scientists attribute the extreme conditions to an "Omega block" weather pattern — named for its resemblance to the Greek letter — which has trapped a mass of hot air over the continent while cooler air sits on either side. "It's drawing warm air up from North Africa, from the Sahara, and that's why we have this really intense heat. It's very slow moving, and it means there's kind of no wind, no breeze for respite," said Clair Barnes, a research associate in extreme weather and climate at Imperial College London.
Barnes added that heatwaves and storms are being intensified by climate change, driving temperatures higher and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
