Several European countries have recorded fatalities as a result of an intense heatwave, with at least 212 people dying in Spain and dozens more — including 3 children — killed in France during the current week.
According to Agence France-Presse, at least 101 million people across Europe experienced temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius yesterday, among them more than 50 million in France and 18 million in Germany.
Data showed more than 212 recorded deaths between Sunday and Wednesday that can be linked to the heatwave striking Spain, according to the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid.
These estimates are based on a system that collects daily death tolls in Spain and calculates the difference between them and expected deaths based on historical data.
In France, a police source said yesterday that the body of a 3-year-old child was found inside a car in the Paris region, making him the third child victim during the severe heatwave gripping the country this week.
France had recorded its hottest day since temperature measurements began in 1947 on Wednesday, when the overall average reached 30 degrees Celsius. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announced that deaths in the capital are rising, without disclosing specific figures.
French authorities said at least 48 people have drowned since the start of the heatwave while trying to cool themselves down.
In Paris, temperatures surpassed 40.3 degrees Celsius the day before yesterday — only the fourth time in 150 years that the city has exceeded 40 degrees.
The bodies of two children were found inside a car in southern France on Monday. The two victims, aged 2 and 4, were discovered in their family's car in a residential car park in the town of Carpentras.
In Italy, the Ministry of Health placed 16 cities — including Florence, Milan, Rome, Turin, and Verona — under the highest heat alert level, warning that the heatwave could intensify further, reaching its peak on Sunday and Monday.
The severe heatwave is attributed to a meteorological phenomenon known as an omega block, which has pushed temperatures up to 18 degrees Celsius above normal levels, according to the Reuters climate monitor.