A devastating heatwave sweeping across Europe has claimed more lives, including two young children found dead inside a parked vehicle in southern France, as authorities across the continent scramble to respond to soaring temperatures and mounting health risks….
By: Ayooluwa Ayobami, AFP
A devastating heatwave sweeping across Europe has claimed more lives, including two young children found dead inside a parked vehicle in southern France, as authorities across the continent scramble to respond to soaring temperatures and mounting health risks.
The children, aged two and four, were discovered in their family car in a residential parking area in the town of Carpentras.
Investigators, according to AFP, said extreme heat was believed to be the most likely cause of their deaths.
The tragedy comes as much of Europe grapples with unusually high temperatures that have disrupted daily life, forcing the closure of schools, cancellation of outdoor events and changes to transport services.
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France has emerged as one of the countries hardest hit by the weather conditions. On Monday, authorities ordered the closure of 1,350 schools, while nearly 4,000 others shortened classroom hours, allowing students to return home around midday to avoid the worst of the heat.
The French government’s emergency response unit also warned residents against swimming in unsupervised lakes and rivers after 13 people drowned over the weekend, among them a 13-year-old girl.
Similar incidents were reported in Germany, where police confirmed that five people lost their lives in separate swimming accidents during the same period.
In the United Kingdom, authorities escalated their response as the national weather service issued a rare red alert for extreme heat, signalling a potential threat to life and the risk of major disruptions to transport infrastructure.
The warning, only the second of its kind ever issued by the Met Office, covers large parts of central and southern England, including London and Birmingham. Forecasters expect temperatures to reach between 38 and 40 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and Thursday.
As a precaution, several schools in southwest England announced plans to end classes early, while rail operators adjusted schedules and cancelled some services from London because of the “severe weather”.
Scientists say the scale of the heatwave reflects the growing impact of climate change.
Akshay Deoras, a senior researcher at the University of Reading’s National Centre for Atmospheric Science, said: “Human-driven climate change has provided the springboard for this event, loading the atmosphere with extra heat and making extreme temperatures far more intense than they would have been in the past.”
In France, more than half of the country’s mainland administrative regions were placed on the highest level of heat alert. Temperatures were forecast to reach 43 degrees Celsius in Bordeaux and 39 degrees Celsius in Paris.
Despite emergency measures introduced in schools, some parents expressed concern over conditions inside classrooms.
Speaking outside a school in Paris, parent Gaelle Roubere said emergency services had to intervene after several pupils became ill during lessons.
“There was vomiting, nausea,” she said.
Messages displayed on school windows reflected growing frustration among parents and teachers, with one banner declaring: “38C in classrooms is TOO HOT!”
Weather experts have warned that the current heatwave could rival the deadly summer of 2003, when nearly 15,000 people died in France during one of the country’s worst heat-related disasters.
Residents in affected areas have been urged to remain indoors during peak temperatures, avoid prolonged exposure to the sun and stay hydrated.
“With this intense heat at the moment, it’s tricky. You really have to protect yourself from the sun. You need to stay hydrated, otherwise you don’t feel well,” nurse Mamone Outhaithany said in the southern French city of Marseille.
