Drowning deaths soar in France as Europe buckles in peak of heatwave
State weather service Aemet says June heatwaves are becoming increasingly common, with 10 recorded in mainland Spain between 2000 and 2025, and just two in the previous 25 years.And in Italy, a red heatwave alert has been declared in 15 cities, including Rome, Milan, Florence, Turin and Venice. The German Lifesaving Association (DLRG) said there were six fatal swimming incidents between Friday and Sunday with men in particular were overestimating their abilities in the water. So we'll have a lot of disruption to public transport."The Eiffel Tower said it was closing early on Tuesday because of the high temperatures forecast in the capital.
- ▪State weather service Aemet says June heatwaves are becoming increasingly common, with 10 recorded in mainland Spain between 2000 and 2025, and just two in the previous 25 years.And in Italy, a red heatwave alert has been declared in 15 cit
- ▪The German Lifesaving Association (DLRG) said there were six fatal swimming incidents between Friday and Sunday with men in particular were overestimating their abilities in the water.
- ▪So we'll have a lot of disruption to public transport."The Eiffel Tower said it was closing early on Tuesday because of the high temperatures forecast in the capital.
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Drowning deaths soar in France as Europe buckles in peak of heatwaveImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, France's sports minister Marina Ferrari warned that too many people were heading for reservoirs and rivers without taking the risks into accountByPaul Kirby, Europe digital editor, Hugh Schofield, in Paris and Davide Ghiglione, in RomePublished23 June 2026, 11:53 BSTUpdated 14 minutes agoForty people have drowned in heatwave-related deaths in France since last Thursday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said, as temperatures hit record levels in several major cities and the heatwave reaches a peak in several European countries."It's not something to be taken lightly, going swimming in unsupervised areas during a heatwave," Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari told French…
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