40 people drown as record-breaking temperatures sweep across France, Spain and the UK
Sudip Kar-Gupta And Emma Pinedo
Updated ,first published
Paris/Madrid: Forty people have drowned in recent days trying to cool off in France to escape record heat in France, where a heatwave has ravaged much of Europe, the prime minister said on Tuesday.
Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Spain were also overwhelmed by extreme heat; Record temperatures in some areas disrupted schools and transport networks.
Meteo France said most of France is under severe heat alert and temperatures will be around 40C on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to rise up to 43C in some parts of western France.
The country recorded its warmest afternoon and night since records began in 1947.
All over France, people jump 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 without permission or in dangerous areas. Drowning deaths increased by 172 percent in France last year as swimmers tried to cool off during heat waves.
Speaking ahead of an emergency meeting on the heatwave, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said: “It is a sad scourge when it comes to drowning, as the latest figures reported to us show 40 deaths, mostly young people, since 18 June.”
A report published by the World Meteorological Organization in April found that Europe is warming at more than twice the global rate, making such long-term heat events increasingly likely.
Two children died in a hot car
A prosecutor in Carpentras, southeastern France, said Monday that first responders were unable to resuscitate two children, ages 2 and 4, who were found unconscious by their mother in the family car outside their home.
Three elderly people, aged between 80 and 95, died of health problems caused by a heat wave in the Bordeaux region over the weekend, local government official Sophie Brocas told France TV late Sunday.
Clair Barnes, a research fellow in extreme weather and climate at Imperial College London, said the heatwave affecting large parts of Europe was known as the Omega block because it took the shape of a Greek letter, with hot air in the middle and cooler air on either side.
“It’s pulling in warm air from North Africa, from the Sahara, and that’s why we have really intense heat. It moves very slowly and that means there’s no wind, no breeze to breathe,” he said.
He said heat waves and storms are intensifying due to climate change, causing temperatures to rise further and causing more precipitation.
Temperatures in England to break June record set in 1976
Britain is also in the grip of the heat; The Met Office predicts temperatures will rise to 37 degrees in southern England on Tuesday – easily beating the June record of 35.6 degrees set in 1957 and 1976 – and will rise further on Wednesday and Thursday.
Just a few weeks ago the UK broke its record high temperature for May.
In London, overnight storms as part of the same volatile weather conditions caused further disruption, including to Heathrow Airport.
Red alert given
In Italy, the health ministry issued the highest level alert for 15 cities and authorities took measures to restrict work in some sectors.
The Spanish meteorological institution issued a red alert in some parts of the country, warning of dangerous temperatures with temperatures expected to reach 44 degrees. Night time did not bring much relief; About 30 monitoring stations were still recording temperatures above 25C as of early Tuesday.
