At least 40 people have drowned in France since 18 June while seeking relief from a record-breaking heatwave that has gripped western and central Europe, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday. The victims were “mainly young people,” he told an emergency crisis meeting, describing the drownings as a “sad scourge.” The toll, which covers unsupervised swimming in rivers, canals, and lakes, was confirmed as Météo-France reported that Tuesday was the hottest day ever recorded in the country, with a national average temperature of 29.8°C, surpassing previous highs set in 2003 and 2019.

Separately, a prosecutor in Carpentras, southeastern France, confirmed that two children aged two and four were found dead in a family car on Monday. Hélène Mourges said the cause of death had not yet been determined, but that “the heat is the leading line of inquiry.” In the Bordeaux region, local official Sophie Brocas reported that three elderly people, aged between 80 and 95, died over the weekend from health complications linked to the extreme temperatures. In Germany, the national lifeguard association DLRG recorded six fatal swimming accidents between Friday and Sunday, all involving men, and warned that more cases could be registered.

Across the continent, national weather services issued their highest-level alerts. Météo-France placed 54 of the country’s 96 mainland departments under a red heatwave warning, affecting an estimated 39 million people. Italy’s health ministry declared red alerts for 15 cities, including Rome and Milan, while Spain’s Aemet warned of “extraordinary danger” in parts of Andalusia and the Basque Country, with temperatures forecast to reach 44°C. Britain’s Met Office issued a rare red extreme heat warning for Wednesday and Thursday across parts of England and Wales, where temperatures could approach 40°C. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower closed early on Tuesday and the Louvre museum announced shortened hours for the rest of the week, citing the building’s vulnerability to heat accumulation.

Meteorologists attribute the prolonged heat to an Omega block, a high-pressure system that traps hot air over the region and prevents cooler weather from moving in. The World Meteorological Organization notes that Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, making such episodes increasingly likely. Météo-France stated that the current heatwave is comparable in intensity to that of August 2003, which caused an estimated 15,000 excess deaths in France, though its duration remains uncertain.

As of Tuesday evening, the French government had activated a national emergency plan to support hospitals and vulnerable populations. The investigation into the deaths of the two children in Carpentras is ongoing, with an autopsy expected to clarify the circumstances. Authorities across the affected countries continue to urge the public to avoid swimming in unsupervised waters and to limit outdoor activity during the hottest hours.