France has recorded a new temperature record amid an unprecedented heatwave, with hundreds of deaths reported across Europe.
According to The Daily Mail, last Wednesday was the hottest 24-hour period in French meteorological history. In the commune of Pissos in southwestern France, temperatures exceeded 44°C. The national average temperature reached 30°C.
Since June 18, at least 55 people have drowned in France while trying to cool off in water bodies. Officials have urged the public to be extremely careful when swimming in unguarded areas. Among the victims was Kenzo Kis, a footballer for Guingamp, who drowned in the Rhone River while trying to escape the heat.
In the western coastal town of Trun-sur-Mer, a British elderly woman lost consciousness and died at a campsite. Near Paris, the body of a three-year-old boy was found inside a car. The temperature in that area had reached 41°C.
The intense heat has also affected other European countries. Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Spain are under the influence of a "heat dome." According to The Daily Mail, 212 people died in Spain in just three days.
The extreme weather is attributed to a natural phenomenon known as the "Omega block." This traps warm air masses over regions, pushing temperatures about 18°C above normal. Meteorological services warn that such heat poses a direct threat to human life.
Due to the extreme heat, France has shut down three nuclear reactors as access to cooling water is limited. Additionally, wildfires have broken out in France and Spain. In the Land-de-Gascogne pine forest in southwestern France, about 200 people are fighting the flames. In Catalonia, 16 hectares of forest have been destroyed.
