Germany records nearly 100 drowning deaths, many of them young men, in June heatwave | Europe

Nearly 100 people, mostly young men, drowned in Germany last month, officials said, as extreme temperatures rose again in Western Europe, blamed for hundreds of deaths.

In Germany’s worst drowning death in more than two decades, 99 people died after temperatures soared as high as 41.7C (107.1F) in some areas in June, official figures show.

The federation said the victims were mostly young men, 40 of whom were under the age of 30; This is the largest group whose ages are known. More than 90 percent were men.

The German lifeboat federation said in a statement that “so many drowning cases have not been recorded in the country since the heat wave in June 2003, in which 107 people died.”

More than 1,300 people died across Europe during violent start of summerAccording to the World Health Organization. French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari said that deaths due to drowning have increased across the continent. on friday It has killed 131 people there since June 19.

Last week, Germany’s main public health institute reported: At least 5,120 deaths due to heat have been recorded in the country this yearmost in June. About 4,270 people were aged 75 and over, the Robert Koch Institute said.

Human-caused climate disruption is amplifying extreme weather conditions around the world, leading to more frequent and deadlier disasters such as heat waves and wildfires.

In France this weekend, the Eiffel Tower and other Paris landmarks announced early closures as a quarter of the country was sweltering under the third heat wave to hit the country since May.

The country’s 24 departments, home to 22.2 million people, were below the maximum alert level issued on Sunday by the national weather service Météo-France, according to Agence France-Presse’s calculation.

The operator of the Eiffel Tower said the monument would close early at 4pm on Saturday and Sunday “due to high temperature forecasts”. The 330-meter-high (1,083 ft) structure, which attracts 7 million tourists a year, often remains open after midnight during the high season.

The Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, two of the French capital’s most popular museums, have taken similar measures.

The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, announced on Thursday that it will close at 16:00 from Friday to Monday, while the Musée d’Orsay announced that it will close early from 17:00 on Saturday until Wednesday “due to extreme heat”.

Organizers of the Tour de France cycling race also said Sunday’s 185.5 km (115 mi) stage would be shortened by 30 km, eliminating a hilly loop due to intense heat; This is the first time in history that such a decision has been made.

Belgian cyclist Tim Merlier, who won Saturday’s stage, welcomed the news. “We’ve been racing for a week now; it’s always been over 35 degrees,” he said. “There is definitely a fight between the two sides over water, ice and beverages. [support] cars.”

Many towns across the country have canceled fireworks displays for the Bastille Day national public holiday on July 14 due to the increased fire risk due to dry conditions.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for caution, warning that nine out of 10 fires are caused by human activities. “A single second of carelessness can put families at risk, endanger those who protect us and destroy our countryside,” he wrote on X.

According to official figures, France recorded more than 2,000 deaths during the heatwave in June and more than 300 during high temperatures in late May.

The government has faced a barrage of criticism, including accusations that it was “unprepared” for extreme weather.

A wildfire in Spain that killed at least 12 people as they tried to escape south has been brought under control, allowing about 1,500 evacuees to return to their homes, officials said.

“The fire was contained and contained within the perimeter without danger of the flames spreading,” said Juan Manuel Moreno, head of Andalusia’s regional government. “This is the beginning of the end, so to speak, of a terrible wildfire that has broken records for how fast it spread.”

About 600 people evacuated from the fire zone in Spain’s Almería province were allowed to return to their homes late Saturday, Moreno said, while the remaining 1,000 people can now do the same in phases.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to visit the devastated area on Monday.

Officials said many of the victims, including Britons, may have been foreign nationals.

The son of a Belgian man killed in bushfires in Spain has hit out at authorities’ claims that his father and other victims failed to follow official advice to seek asylum, saying emergency services gave them no guidance.

Belgian virologist Thomas-Wolf Verdonckt told ⁠Reuters that he spoke by phone to his father, 63-year-old businessman Stanislas Verdonckt, just before 9pm on Thursday as the fire moved through the mountain village of Bédar in Almeria.

“The people who died did not follow any orders because they were given no orders. No information was given,” Verdonckt said. “When the flames were almost upon them, they started running. This was their last resort.”

Agence France-Presse and Reuters contributed to this report