People cool off near the Trocadero Fountain with the Eiffel Tower on the background during a heatwave in Paris on June 26, 2026. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
France on Monday counted its heat-related deaths, as a funeral business representative said Paris morgues have been overwhelmed by a spike in fatalities during a record-breaking heatwave.
The government defended its response to the heatwave, which eased on Sunday after days of punishing temperatures that disrupted daily life and forced the closure of many schools and landmark tourist attractions.
Few homes in France are equipped with air-conditioning units, and most schools are not designed to cope with extreme heat.
Elisabeth Charrier, head of the National Funeral Federation, said funeral home occupancy — which typically ranges between 30 percent and 45 percent during the summer — has climbed above 66 percent nationwide.
