Two children were found dead in their family's car in southeastern France as a large swathe of western Europe endures a ferocious heatwave that is forecast to shatter temperature records, The Guardian reported.
“The causes of death have yet to be determined, but the heat is the leading line of inquiry,” Hélène Mourges, the prosecutor in the town of Carpentras, was quoted as saying in the report. Temperatures in Carpentras were expected to exceed 39°C (102.2°F) on Monday afternoon.
The deaths follow those of three elderly people, aged between 80 and 95, who died near Bordeaux over the weekend due to health complications caused by the extreme heat, an official said. Thirteen more people drowned in swimming accidents, the report said.
Meanwhile, a BBC report said that forty 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.
France, along with Spain and Italy, have been hardest hit by the heatwave so far, the report added.
On Monday, French authorities placed 49 of the country’s 96 mainland departments under a Level 1 danger-to-life warning, urging 35 million residents to exercise “absolute vigilance,” avoid strenuous physical activity, and stay out of direct sunlight, according to The Guardian.
A further six departments will be added to the red list on Tuesday, with 35 others remaining on a level 2 orange alert. “Very high temperatures are setting in for the long term across the country,” said the national weather service, Météo-France.
It said temperatures throughout western and central France were likely to exceed 40C from Monday afternoon, hitting 43C in Bordeaux, 41C in Limoges, 40C in Toulouse and Tours and 39C in Paris, and would continue rising until the end of the week.
