France's public health agency reported 1,000 excess deaths as an intense heatwave continued to grip Europe, with officials warning the toll is likely to rise.
The agency, which operates under the French Ministry of Health, said most of the fatalities involved people aged 65 and older, and that the mortality count was expected to climb as more data emerged on deaths in homes and residential care facilities.
Temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Europe on Sunday, Reuters reported.
According to AFP estimates, at least 191 million people were forecast to experience temperatures of at least 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) across Europe, with the heat especially intense in Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Italy, Austria and western Ukraine were also affected.
The heatwave, which reportedly began on June 20, has shut schools and museums early and disrupted power generation, transport and healthcare systems across the continent. Preliminary all-time temperature records were set Saturday in Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that "right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling."
He added that the heatwave was "driven by climate change and global warming" and was now "occurring nearly annually," warning that Europe's homes, workplaces and schools remained ill-equipped.
Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, heating at twice the global average. Right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 28, 2026
Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the…
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In Germany, at least seven people died in swimming accidents over the weekend as residents sought relief in lakes and rivers, dpa news agency reported.
The temperature in Kubschuetz, in eastern Germany, did not fall below 29.4 degrees Celsius overnight Saturday, the warmest night recorded there in nearly 150 years, according to the German weather service.
In Italy, the Po river's flow has dwindled, letting seawater advance up to 18 kilometers inland, Reuters reported, while rescuers searched for the missing husband of Italian cabinet minister Eugenia Roccella after he disappeared while swimming in Lake Vico on Saturday.
French Health Minister Stephanie Rist told La Tribune newspaper the heatwave's impact could linger for up to 10 days. "The episode is not finished," she told broadcaster BFM.
Forecasters expect cooler weather across Western Europe this week as the heat shifts toward Central Europe and the Balkans, though thunderstorms knocked out power to 36,000 households in France on Sunday, electricity provider Enedis said.
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