France records hottest-ever night, 40 drownings
PARIS, France (AFP) — France experienced its hottest night from Monday to Tuesday as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said 40 people — many of them young — had drowned since June 18 amid a severe heatwave.
The deadly heatwave has battered France since last week, disrupting daily life and forcing school closures and train cancellations, with Lecornu convening ministers for a new crisis meeting on Tuesday to address the situation.
The country recorded its hottest night from Monday to Tuesday since measurements began in 1947, the Meteo-France weather agency said.
The national temperature indicator — an average of readings from 30 stations across France — reached 21.6C, according to preliminary figures taken Tuesday morning.
The previous record was 21.4C, set on July 25, 2019.
Lecornu called the latest fatalities a “tragic scourge”.
“The latest figure reported to us is 40 deaths since June 18, mainly among young people,” Lecornu said at the crisis meeting.
“They are the first victims of the crisis we are facing.”
Earlier Tuesday, Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari told the France Inter broadcaster that around 20 people had drowned since the beginning of the weekend, urging swimmers to respect safety rules.
