Carnage has erupted in France as people fight over air-con units ahead of this weekend's heatwave, with huge crowds forcing open supermarket doors to grab fans.The chaos began after Lidl promised to put out 200,000 fans and air conditioners on its shelves on Thursday, prompting customers to queue outside stores before dawn in preparation.But from the moment the stores opened, hundreds flocked inside, with ferocious shoppers going head-to-head and resorting to physical violence to secure the electronic devices.Videos circulating on social media show women screaming and crying as they battle for the fans, with one sparring pair having to be separated by a fellow male shopper.Other footage shows hordes of people stampeding through the aisles and speedily grabbing boxes, leaving the remaining shelves empty.Local journalists said the police were forced to intervene as customers began brawling, doing anything in their power to secure the machines before expected temperatures of up to 37C this weekend.In the suburb of Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine, more than a hundred people descended on a Lidl store, damaging the entrance door in the process.According to information from BFMTV, only about ten shoppers ultimately managed to leave the scene successfully with a device, due to the outbreak of arguments. Carnage has erupted in France as people fight over air-con units ahead of this weekend's heatwave, with huge crowds forcing open supermarket doors to grab fans The chaos began after Lidl promised to put out 200,000 fans and air conditioners on its shelves on Thursday, prompting customers to queue outside stores before dawn in preparation Videos circulating on social media show women screaming and crying as they battle for the fans, with one sparring pair having to be separated by a fellow male shopperDespite the promise of plentiful devices, customers experienced a shortage of stock.In Saint-Germain-en-Laye in Yvelines, the shelves were apparently emptied in minutes, and there were no air conditioners, with only about 50 fans available for customers. Tension started early at 7.30am, by which time a long line had already emerged outside the shop.Later, people physically fought one another for the last remaining boxes, prompting law enforcement to intervene amid the chaotic stampede. Those who arrived after 8.30am likely went home empty-handed, after queuing for hours.'It's ridiculous, people have gone completely mad,' Haissam, a resident of Carrières-sous-Poissy, told Le Parisien.Walker, a taxi driver and resident of Éragny in Val-d'Oise, pointed a finger at the store: 'Lidl knew perfectly well it would be chaos and they didn't organise anything.'A similar scene of carnage unfolded in Orgeval, also in the Yvelines department. Despite the promise of plentiful devices, customers experienced a shortage of stock Footage shows hordes of people stampeding through the aisles and speedily grabbing boxes, leaving the remaining shelves empty The police were called to help restore control amid the mayhemIn Essonne, the shop in Saint-Germain-lès-Corbeil was stormed by customers, and nearly 200 vehicles blocked the surrounding area, particularly on the Francilienne highway.The police were called to help restore control amid the mayhem. In Paris too, shoppers complained about being unable to purchase the fans and air-con units. 'I just came back from Lidl. One store in Paris received only one air conditioner, while another received nothing. At this rate, I estimate that the supply for the whole of Paris will probably not exceed one hundred units,' wrote one disappointed person on X.In the 14th arrondissement, 'there were two air conditioners and more than 400 people. They used tear gas. Women fell,' another customer claimed.'Nothing at Grèves in Colombes,' one social media user wrote after failing to purchase a device.'Frankly, it looks like a scam,' another concluded.At one store in Rueil-Malmaison, 'only one air conditioner' was 'grabbed' by a woman 'who had been there since 5am,' said one despairing shopper. In Essonne, the shop in Saint-Germain-lès-Corbeil was stormed by customers, and nearly 200 vehicles blocked the surrounding area, particularly on the Francilienne highway Hundreds of people descended on Lidl shops across France to buy fans and air-con units At least 30,000 fans and air-con units were sold at Carrefour on June 22, according to CEO Alexandre Bompard, which is 1,000 times more than an average day'All that for this,' she wrote on X.Others were critical of the way the crowds behaved, with one social media user comparing the public to 'savages'.Some emerged victorious from the chaotic scenes, however, with one proud shopper sharing a photograph of their purchase and writing: 'I've won the holy battle of Lidl. A source of pride I'll add to my CV.'At least 30,000 fans and air-con units were sold at Carrefour on June 22, according to CEO Alexandre Bompard, which is 1,000 times more than an average day. In its first preliminary estimate, the national public health agency in France said deaths surged during the heatwave's peak last week, which roasted most of the country with temperatures that soared in many places above 40C and also broke records for nighttime highs – an exhausting one-two punch for fatigued bodies.Public Health France said there were more than 1,200 deaths last Wednesday, when France registered its hottest ever day, breaking a record that had been set just the previous day.Deaths then increased to more than 1,400 on Thursday and another 1,400 on Friday, it said. By way of comparison, the pre-heatwave death rate in April and May was around 900 to 1,000 per day, it said. French Green party lawmakers announced plans to file a no-confidence motion against the government over its handling of the severe heatwave Scientists have said the heatwave, which began on June 20, was the worst recorded in Europe, and the blistering conditions have disrupted power generation, damaged infrastructure and overwhelmed healthcare systemsThe agency cautioned that its estimate of at least 1,000 additional deaths during those three sizzling days alone is expected to increase as more death certificates come in for people who died at home and in care facilities for older people, where most deaths are still not registered electronically.'Mortality will as a consequence be higher than these first figures,' the agency said.Scientists have said the heatwave, which began on June 20, was the worst recorded in Europe, and the blistering conditions have disrupted power generation, damaged infrastructure and overwhelmed healthcare systems.'Right now 150million people ​are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling,' World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.'Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the "once-in-a-generation" heatwave is now occurring nearly annually. We were warned,' he ⁠wrote, adding that Europe's homes, workplaces and schools were ill-equipped for extreme heat.French Green party lawmakers announced plans to file a no-confidence motion against the government over its handling of the severe heatwave, ​as the country braces for a third possible bout of extreme temperatures ‌next week.It was not immediately clear if the motion would be put forward this week or early next week.When asked about the motion, government spokesman Maud Bregeon said on Wednesday: 'Obviously, it's going ​to be filed. It is a political manoeuvre.''There is a government managing ​the crisis and there are political forces fueling the crisis by introducing ⁠the motion,' Bregeon told reporters after a meeting of the French Cabinet.The bid ​to topple Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s minority government is unlikely to succeed without the backing ​of other opposition parties, including the hard-Right National Rally or the Socialists. The Socialists have not supported any of the no-confidence motions filed against Lecornu since he took office last year.Cyrielle Chatelain, ​who leads the Greens in the National Assembly, said on Tuesday the motion would ​be filed to protest the government's 'lack of preparedness not only for the heatwave we have ‌just ⁠experienced, but especially for the one that is coming'.