Paris (France) (AFP) – The most severe heatwave ever recorded in Europe roasted central and eastern parts of the continent on Monday and began to creep over Ukraine, which scrambled to prepare its war-ravaged power grid for the shock of scorching heat.
Issued on: 29/06/2026 - 12:30
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The heatwave first smothered western Europe last week, sending mercury to record highs and straining hospitals, transport networks and power grids on a continent where infrastructure was not built to withstand the punishing temperatures and where air conditioning is not widespread.More than 1,300 excess deaths were recorded in Europe since June 21, according to the UN health agency, including several small children who died in locked cars and youths who drowned as they sought relief from the infernal temperatures in unsupervised swimming spots.France reported at least 74 drowning deaths since June 18 and Poland said 17 drowned on Sunday alone."I'm doing the same thing as everyone -- trying to stay in the shade and drink a lot of water," Susanne, a Vienna resident, told AFP on a bank of a river near the Austrian capital."I just hope that the politicians will understand the situation and will begin to set a course in the right direction," she said.On Monday, the Balkans braced for temperatures of up to 40C, with firefighters in Bosnia battling blazes sparked during the heat.At least 130 million people in Europe were expected to swelter through temperatures of more than 35C, down from 190 million on Sunday according to an AFP analysis.This heatwave is the most severe ever recorded in Europe, and would have been "virtually impossible" this early in the summer without climate change, the World Weather Attribution group of scientists said.All-time temperature records have been broken in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as for the month of June in the UK and in Switzerland.New shock for UkraineUkraine on Monday was preparing to absorb the blow from Nature on its energy network, already pummelled by Russian attacks over more than four years of war.
