Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary swelter through hottest days on record | Extreme heat

Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary reached record temperatures above 40C on Sunday. The heat wave that caused hundreds of deaths in Western Europe has spread east.

While more than 191 million people in Europe faced temperatures of at least 35 degrees, extreme heat warnings were issued across the region.

Germany recorded an all-time high of 41.7C in Coschen, near the Polish border in eastern Brandenburg, according to preliminary data from the national weather service. This broke the previous record of 41.5C set the day before in Drewitz.

A fire broke out in a forest contaminated with World War II munitions in Gohrischheide, eastern Germany, complicating the work of firefighters.

A major firefighting operation was also halted at a former ammunition disposal site near the village of Traisen in southwestern Germany. According to the German news agency DPA, fire crews had to stop for a short time after the explosions were triggered and the bomb disposal team arrived in the area. Approximately 650 people in Traisen had to leave their homes on Sunday as the fire continued to spread.

In Berlin, police fired water cannons into the air to help residents and tourists cool off. German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has advised against all non-essential travel.

Poland broke its all-time temperature record with temperatures reaching 40.5C in Słubice on the Polish-German border, breaking the 105-year-old record of 40.2C set in 1921.

The Polish government’s security agency sent out text messages urging people to “avoid sun and strenuous activities”, drink water and wear hats over the weekend. Many cities have installed water curtains to help residents stay cool in the heat.

Hungary also set an all-time record with 40.7C reported in Budakalász; This was above Saturday’s 40.0C and above the country’s previous record of 37.5C ​​in 1994.

The Czech Republic also reported an all-time high of 41.9C in Doksany, which was confirmed by the Hydrometeorological Institute on Sunday afternoon. “Temperatures continue to rise, this is not the final maximum value,” the statement said.

In Slovakia, 39.3C was reported in Mužla, in the southwest of the country.

Denmark recorded the highest temperature since measurements began in 1874, with 36.6 degrees north of Odense on Saturday.

Meanwhile, France has started counting the death toll caused by the heat wave.

The French national public health agency said 1,000 additional deaths were recorded between June 24 and 27 compared to previous months. These figures were provisional and were expected to increase significantly. The sharpest increase in deaths involved people dying at home, especially in the Île-de-France region, which includes Paris and its suburbs. The majority of deaths were among people over 65, but young people were also affected.

“This is a reminder of the need for solidarity measures for people who are isolated or experiencing deep loneliness, including in highly urbanized areas,” the health agency said in a statement.

Philippe Juvin, an emergency room doctor and lawmaker for the right-wing Les Républicains party, said the final death toll in France would be very high. He said Sunday that there were likely still people in their homes who were in a coma or had died, and that they might not be discovered until next week. French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said hospitals and emergency services will remain under pressure in the coming days.

Greens leader Marine Tondelier said “everything needs to be clarified” to the “very high death toll” and that political consequences must be drawn for action on the climate crisis.

French interior minister Laurent Nuñez said ambulance services responded to more than 122,000 calls during the hottest part of the heatwave.

Preliminary figures in Spain showed at least 327 deaths that could be linked to the heat between last Sunday and Thursday.

Large parts of northern France were also affected by severe electrical storms and high winds; While this situation caused many injuries, emergency services responded to fallen trees on the roads and flooded houses.

Lightning strikes in the Aisne region caused many fires; one of these was in Laon, where five people were injured. The storms caused power outages and more than 60,000 homes were without power Sunday morning.

Media said one person died in Belgium when a tree fell on his car outside Brussels after severe storms affected much of the country.