Young people dive into the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris. Photo: Joel Saget / AFP / Lehtikuva
International news
A heatwave stretching across much of Europe has claimed lives, disrupted transport, closed landmarks and pushed temperatures to record levels as governments issued warnings over growing health risks.
France has emerged as one of the countries hardest hit by the extreme weather, with authorities reporting 40 drowning deaths in the past five days as people sought relief from the heat in rivers, lakes and other unsupervised swimming areas.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said many of those who died were young people. The figure covers the period since last Thursday and comes as large parts of the country remain under the highest level of heat alert.
