Forty People Drown as France Seeks Relief from Record Heat

A record-breaking heat dome has scorched France, where officials and local reports have said at least 45 people have died amid the high temperatures, including 40 by drowning. Officials have said many young people went swimming in unsupervised locations seeking relief.

In remarks Tuesday about the heat crisis, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the heat wave as "an episode of exceptional intensity" and said temperature records are being broken "every day and night." The French government was planning for several scenarios, including the possibility that the heat extends into July. According to local reports, three of the deaths were elderly people who succumbed to health issues related to heat and two were children who died in a hot car.

The prime minister did not share details of the circumstances around the drownings, but authorities have suggested many of the incidents were related to people swimming in unauthorized locations to escape the heat.

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