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A person shelters from the sun under an umbrella along the banks of the River Seine in Paris as temperatures rise during a heatwave affecting a large part of France, June 22, 2026. REUTERS
At least 40 people in France drowned over recent days as they sought to cool down to escape record heat in the country.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirms the number on Tuesday during a heatwave sweeping across much of Europe.
Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Spain are 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, reports Reuters.
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 said was 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.
