In the past five days, at least 40 people have drowned in France as the country faces a severe heat wave. The Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, highlighted the tragic pattern of drownings at an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Most victims were young individuals, many being teenagers. They were swimming in areas without supervision. Mr. Lecornu referred to this as a ‘tragic scourge.’ Marina Ferrari, who is responsible for youth affairs, mentioned on French radio that these incidents occurred primarily in lakes and canals. She stressed the dangers of swimming in unsupervised areas during a heat wave.
France is grappling with an intense heat wave that covers much of Europe, starting from mid-last week. Forecasts indicate that Paris could reach temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius this week, close to its record levels. Some regions in central France may experience highs of around 43 degrees Celsius (approximately 109 degrees Fahrenheit).
More than half of France is currently on a red alert due to heat wave conditions, the highest level of warning. The country’s weather service, Météo-France, has warned of ‘exceptionally high temperatures, both day and night.’ These temperatures pose a significant health risk.
Mr. Lecornu stated that local and national temperature records are being shattered daily, both during the day and at night.
The European heat wave is caused by a ‘heat dome,’ a strong high-pressure area that traps heat across a region. Météo-France explained that such high-pressure systems can impede or redirect weather fronts, resulting in dry, cloudless conditions.
This is the second heat wave in France in about a month, following unprecedented temperatures in May.
In addition to drownings, the high temperatures have led to other fatalities. BFMTV, a French news outlet, reported the deaths of two young children, aged 2 and 4, left in a car on Monday.