Forty drown in France as people seek relief from Europe’s heatwave

PARIS/LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) – Forty people have drowned in France over the past days as they sought to cool down to escape record ​heat, the prime minister said on Tuesday, as a heatwave swept across much of Europe.

Britain, Italy and Spain were also sweltering in extreme heat, with ‌record temperatures in some regions disrupting schools and transport networks.

Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, according to the World Meteorological Organization, making such prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely.

Much of France is under severe heat alert and set to experience temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, Meteo France said, with temperatures of up to 43 C expected in some parts of western France.

The country has just ​recorded its hottest afternoon and night since records began in 1947. Fifty-four departments are under red alert in what forecasters described as unprecedented.

Across France, people have been jumping ​into canals and rivers to cool off. French sports minister Marina Ferrari said she understood the urge to escape the heat but warned ⁠against swimming in unauthorized or dangerous areas.

Speaking ahead of an emergency meeting on the heatwave, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said: “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.”

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

In Paris, commuters struggled through sweltering conditions after sleepless nights in apartments ill-equipped for heat. Some trains were cancelled, including between Paris and Brussels.

Business leaders said the economy was also taking a hit.

“France is running at a slow pace. Businesses, as far as possible, are implementing recommendations to protect their employees,” the head of ​France’s MEDEF employers group, Patrick Martin, told BFM TV. In several places across Paris, shops had run out of electric fans amid surging demand.

The ​heatwave is driven by a weather pattern known as an Omega block, because it takes the shape of the Greek letter, with a bulge of hot air in the middle and cooler air either side, ‌allowing temperatures ⁠to build day after day.

Heatwaves and storms are being intensified by climate change, pushing temperatures higher and causing more rainfall.

In Italy, the health ministry issued its highest level alert for 15 cities and authorities took measures to curtail work. Storms are expected later on Tuesday over the Alps and Apennines, bringing heavy rain, gusty winds and hail.

Britain is also in the grip of the heat, with the Met Office forecasting temperatures of up to 37 C in southern England on Tuesday — potentially a new June record — before rising further on Wednesday and Thursday.

Dozens of schools have said ​they will close early, due to old buildings ​not being suitable for classrooms with more ⁠than 30 children in.

Spain’s meteorological agency has issued red alerts across parts of the country, warning of dangerous heat with temperatures expected to reach 44 C. The warnings follow an already extreme day on Monday, including a peak above 45 C in Andujar.

Nighttime has brought little relief, ​with around 30 monitoring stations still recording temperatures above 25 C early on Tuesday.

Madrid has opened climate shelters for vulnerable people, including the ​homeless. The shelters would “provide ⁠a climate-controlled environment, offer basic food, allow visitors to take a shower, and give them a chance to rest for a while,” said Juan Carlos Arellano of Madrid’s Samur Social.

In Belgium, soaring temperatures forced a primary school in Tervuren, near Brussels, to relocate its final exams to a nearby church.

“Too hot in the classroom, then we’ll do the exams in the church,” the school wrote on its Instagram, ⁠posting footage ​of pupils taking their tests from rows of church chairs.

Transport networks across Europe came under strain. Britain’s ​Network Rail warned passengers to travel only if necessary later this week as temperatures approach 39 C, with speed restrictions likely to disrupt services.

In London, overnight thunderstorms — part of the same volatile weather pattern — caused further disruption, including at ​Heathrow Airport.