Heat Wave Causes Drownings and Fatalities in France

At least 40 people have drowned in France over the last five days during a severe heat wave, according to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. He made this statement at an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Most victims were young and swam in unsupervised areas. The prime minister described the drownings as a ‘tragic scourge.’

Marina Ferrari, a minister working with youth issues, noted in a French radio interview that many drownings happened in lakes or canals. She stressed the importance of avoiding unsupervised swimming during heat waves.

France is experiencing an intense heat wave affecting much of Europe. It began last week, with forecasts suggesting Paris might reach 40 degrees Celsius. Central France could see temperatures as high as 43 degrees Celsius, equivalent to about 109 degrees Fahrenheit.

More than half of France is currently under a red alert for heat conditions, the most serious level. Météo-France, the national weather agency, warned of ‘exceptionally high temperatures, both day and night,’ with significant health impacts expected.

Prime Minister Lecornu mentioned that both local and national temperature records are being consistently broken. The heat wave is due to a ‘heat dome,’ which is a strong high-pressure area trapping heat over a region. Météo-France explained that such systems block weather fronts, reducing cloud cover and rain.

This is the second heat wave in France within a month, following record temperatures in May. The extreme heat has resulted in other tragic incidents. French news station BFMTV reported that two children, ages 2 and 4, died after being left inside a car on Monday.

Reporters Aurelien Breeden contributed from Paris, and Claire Moses from London, focusing on breaking and trending news.