40 people drowned during heatwave in France

“The latest data we have received is that 40 people have died since June 18, mostly young people,” French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced on June 23. “They are the first victims in the crisis we are facing. This is a tragic disaster.”

To cool off, many people go to parks, lakes and rivers to cool off by swimming. French Minister of Sports and Youth Marina Ferrari advised people to comply with safety rules.

Prime Minister Lecornu said he was uncertain about the end time of the heat wave. He asked the government to study three scenarios, including the possibility of “a heat wave lasting until most of July”, to come up with a response plan.

The heatwave in France began last week, disrupting daily life, forcing schools to close and causing many train trips to be canceled. Prime Minister Lecornu on June 23 convened an emergency meeting of ministers to deal with the situation.

Meteo-France meteorological agency said the average temperature in France on the night of June 22 and the morning of June 23 was 21.6°C, the highest level since 1947. The previous record was 21.4°C, recorded in July 2019.

Professor Louis Soulat, head of the emergency department in Rennes, warned that “everyone’s body will initially adapt to the heat, but by June 24, there is a risk that many people will have psychological problems, diabetic complications, heart failure and kidney failure.”

Western Europe is suffering from a severe heat wave that is predicted to break temperature records, disrupting life in many countries. Spain’s national meteorological agency Aemet warned of unusually high daytime and nighttime temperatures this summer.

In the UK, the meteorological agency has issued a warning of “extreme heat” for much of the south of the country and some parts of Wales from June 22 to June 25, with temperatures forecast to reach 38°C. The record temperature for a day in June is currently 35.6°C, recorded in 1976.

Scientists say that as the Earth continues to warm, extreme heat waves, which previously only appeared in mid-summer, will occur more frequently, be more intense and last longer right from the beginning of the season.