40 people drowned while escaping a heat wave

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday that 40 people drowned in France during the past few days while trying to cool down to escape the record heat wave, at a time when a heat wave swept large parts of Europe.
Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain also suffered from extreme heat, as record temperatures in some areas led to the disruption of studies and transportation networks.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, Europe is experiencing temperatures more than double the global average, making such prolonged heat waves increasingly likely.
The French Meteorological Authority said that most parts of France are witnessing temperatures of about 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius in some parts of western France.
The country just recorded its highest afternoon and night temperatures since data recording began in 1947. 54 departments were placed on maximum alert in what meteorologists described as unprecedented.
People all over France rush to canals and rivers to swim in search of coolness.
French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari said she understood the urgent desire to escape the heat, but she warned against swimming in unauthorized or dangerous areas.
In a speech before an emergency meeting on the heatwave, Locorno said, “It is a sad disaster in terms of drowning incidents, as the latest figures that have just come to us show that there have been 40 deaths since June 18, most of them young people.”