Europe Endures Intense Heatwave with Over 20 Deaths, Including Children

Europe remained in the grip of an intense heatwave on Monday, with authorities across several countries issuing red alerts, closing schools, disrupting transport services and warning residents to avoid prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures.

France was among the worst-affected countries, with temperatures forecast to reach up to 43 degrees Celsius in parts of the southwest. Authorities placed dozens of regions on the highest heat alert level and closed or shortened hours at thousands of schools.

Britain issued a rare red warning for extreme heat, while Italy, Spain and Belgium also recorded unusually high temperatures.

The severe conditions have been linked to multiple deaths across the continent.

In France, two children aged two and four were found dead inside a family car in the southern town of Carpentras, with investigators saying the heatwave was the most likely cause. French authorities also reported that 13 people, including a 13-year-old girl, drowned over the weekend and overnight while seeking relief from the heat, while three elderly people died due to heat-related causes.

In Germany, police said five people died in swimming accidents over the weekend amid the hot weather.

French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist warned that the country was facing several more days of extreme temperatures. "We're heading for, at the very least, several days of very, very hot weather. We don't know when temperatures will start falling," she said.

The heatwave has also strained infrastructure. Rail services were reduced in parts of France and Belgium, schools shut early in Britain, and power utilities in Italy reported increased pressure on electricity networks as air-conditioning use surged.

Scientists say the latest heatwave reflects a broader warming trend driven by climate change. A study published on Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change found that exposure to dangerous heat stress has increased significantly worldwide over the past five decades. According to the research, the share of the global population experiencing at least one day of extreme heat stress each year has risen from 16 per cent in the 1970s to 22 per cent by 2024, exposing roughly one billion more people to potentially dangerous conditions. Researchers also found that heatwaves are becoming more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting, with Europe among the regions warming fastest.