At least 40 people have died in France since last week in incidents linked to the ongoing heatwave, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced, as scorching conditions continue to grip large parts of Europe.
Authorities say many of the fatalities were connected to attempts to cool off in unsafe waterways.
French Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari urged the public to avoid swimming in unsupervised locations, warning that such activities become particularly dangerous during periods of extreme heat.
France, Spain and Italy remain among the nations most severely affected by the intense weather system.
French meteorological services reported the country’s warmest June day on record on Monday, followed by its highest overnight temperature ever registered for the month.
More than half of France remained under the highest weather warning level as the heatwave intensified.
Tragedies have occurred across the country. A 13-year-old girl drowned in the River Seine near Fontaine-le-Port after entering the water despite being unable to swim.
Near Lyon, a young football player was left in critical condition after rescuers pulled him from the River Rhône, where swimming is prohibited.
Elsewhere, two young children aged two and four died after being discovered inside a parked vehicle in the southern city of Carpentras, with officials attributing the deaths to the severe temperatures.
Germany has also recorded multiple drowning incidents amid rising temperatures.
The German Lifesaving Association reported six fatal water-related accidents over the weekend, noting that many victims had underestimated the dangers and their own swimming abilities.
In Spain, weather forecasters predicted temperatures above 40C across several regions, while some rural districts near Córdoba were expected to approach 44C.
The national weather agency, Aemet, said more than 100 monitoring stations registered at least 40C on Monday, with the highest reading reaching 45C in Andújar.
Meteorologist Rubén del Campo said heatwaves are increasingly arriving earlier in the summer season, reflecting a noticeable shift in climate patterns.
According to Aemet, mainland Spain experienced 10 June heatwaves between 2000 and 2025, compared with only two during the previous quarter-century.
Italy has placed 15 major cities, including Rome, Milan, Florence, Turin and Venice, under the highest heat warning. Officials cautioned that the conditions pose risks not only to vulnerable groups but also to healthy adults.
The Italian government has reintroduced emergency workplace measures to shield outdoor labourers, particularly those in agriculture and construction, from exposure during the hottest parts of the day.
Businesses forced to suspend or reduce operations because of dangerous weather can receive state-supported financial assistance.
The extreme conditions have also affected infrastructure.
In southwestern France, the Golfech nuclear power station was temporarily shut down after forecasts indicated that the temperature of the River Garonne, used for reactor cooling, would exceed legal environmental limits.
Meteorologists expect the heatwave to persist across several parts of Europe in the coming days, prompting continued health and safety warnings from authorities.
By:Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong