French authorities reported that about 20 people drowned over the weekend while swimming in unsupervised areas to escape a heatwave gripping France and other parts of Europe.

“To go swimming in unauthorised areas during a heatwave is not something to take lightly,” Sports Minister Marina Ferrari told France Inter radio, as forecasters said temperatures in much of the country would reach about 40°C on Tuesday.

Separately, local authorities said the heatwave was the most likely reason for the deaths of two children aged two and four who were found unconscious in a car outside their home in Carpentras, southeastern France.

Three more people aged 80 to 95 died in the Bordeaux region from heat-related health issues, local official Sophie Brocas told France TV.

The heatwave smashed temperature records in multiple cities, including Bordeaux and Poitiers, and strained power grids and public services. The national weather service placed 54 areas of France under a red heatwave alert, while schools closed early or adjusted timetables to protect students.

Elsewhere in Europe, Britain’s Met Office warned that a four-day heatwave could push temperatures above 39°C in parts of the country, easily breaking the June record of 35.6°C set in 1957 and 1976. Just weeks earlier, the UK had recorded its highest May temperature on record.

Spain also saw extreme heat. San Sebastian in the traditionally cooler north was set to reach 40°C, more than double the city’s historic average for June 22, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.

The extreme heat was driven by an “Omega block” weather pattern, trapping a bulge of hot air over the continent. “It’s drawing warm air up from North Africa, from the Sahara, and that’s why we have this really intense heat,” said Clair Barnes, a research associate at Imperial College London. She added that heatwaves and storms are being intensified by climate change.

Source: www.aljazeera.com