A severe heat wave swept through France, resulting in the death of 55 people due to drowning.
The number of drowning victims in France has risen to 55 since the heat wave began on June 18, and Sports Minister Marina Ferrari warned that the situation “may get worse” as record temperatures continue to grip the country.Ferrari told France Info radio: “Yesterday evening we were at 55, but we fear that the situation may get worse.”French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said during an inter-ministerial crisis meeting that “the majority of deaths resulting from the heat wave since the 18th of this month were among young people.” While officials did not reveal specific details about locations, causes, or ages, French authorities estimate that most of the incidents occurred while swimming in unauthorized places to escape the heat.Recent tragedies reported include the drowning of a 13-year-old girl in the Seine River, and several young people have been recovered from dangerous areas of the Rhone River near Lyon.Minister of Sports and Youth Marina Ferrari said: “Swimming in unsupervised areas cannot be taken lightly. We understand the urgent need to calm down, but doing so in unauthorized areas puts lives in direct danger.”
Paris bans drinking alcohol in public places and warns hospitals against “saturation”
Paris Police Director Patrice Faure announced a ban on alcohol consumption in public places effective Friday afternoon, warning that hospitals were approaching “saturation.”“We have reached the saturation point in hospitals,” Fore said in a press conference. “My duty is to ensure that the system is not paralyzed.”The decree, published Thursday evening, prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages from noon on Friday until 7 a.m. on Saturday, and from noon on Saturday until 7 a.m. on Sunday.
The sale of alcoholic beverages for takeaway or in specialty stores is prohibited from 6pm onwards. Restaurants and bars are not affected.Saturday’s Pride Parade and the Solidays Festival, which begins Friday, could be canceled by decree, Faure said. “My hands will not shake when it comes to choosing and deciding,” he said.
Zinc roofs turn a dream into a nightmare
A brutal heatwave has turned Paris’s famous zinc roofs into a health hazard for people living directly beneath them in cramped attic dwellings that retain scorching heat.About three-quarters of rooftops in Paris use zinc sheets as covering. But as a metal, zinc absorbs and conducts heat. A study of the record 2003 heat wave that caused 15,000 heat-related deaths found that living in a Paris attic room directly under the roof increased the risk of death by more than four times, the French public health agency said.Researchers who studied heat-related deaths in European cities in a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2023 found that Paris had the highest risk of heat-related deaths out of 30 European capitals.“People find the rooftops in Paris magical. There is the image of an attic room. But in reality, when you look at who lives in these apartments, students are often paying a large amount of money for a small room,” said Maeder Olivier from the campaign group Housing Foundation for the Disadvantaged.“Not only are they highly exposed to heat, but it is also impossible to create cross-ventilation to get rid of the heat at night.”Olivier said zoning regulations aimed at preserving the character of Paris are hampering efforts to adapt housing to the extreme heat. “These rules that protect rooftops in Paris do not protect the people who live under those roofs,” she said.
Why do people go outdoors?
France’s stone buildings, distributed across major cities such as Paris, act as “saunas” that absorb heat throughout the day. The majority of buildings of historical importance, such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre Museum, are made of stone.
In addition, only 25% of French households have air conditioners, forcing people to leave the house in search of comfort.Accessibility to swimming spots such as the Seine River and the Canal Saint-Martin, located within the city centre, also plays a role.There are also concerns that suddenly jumping into cold water during a heatwave could cause cold water shock, leading to injuries. The UK Met Office urged caution, saying: “Even if the weather is hot, the water is still cold, and entering it without warning can cause cold water shock, increasing breathing and heart rate and causing panic.”
Cold water shock can occur when the water temperature is below 15°C.
Heatwave peak and records
Thursday saw the peak of the heatwave that has swept the country for a week, with 72 departments placed on red alert. France recorded its highest national thermal index for nighttime temperatures since records began in 1947, leaving residents with almost no night’s rest.Power grids faced enormous pressure, leading to the temporary closure of the Gullvich Nuclear Power Plant due to rising river temperatures.
Major cultural landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum, have modified or shortened their operating hours.The French Public Health Agency operates a “drowning surveillance system” during the summer months. From June to September last year, there were 1,418 water-related accidents in France, of which 409 (29%) resulted in death. Drowning incidents in rivers, lakes and similar locations accounted for half of all incidents.This year’s record heatwave is expected to lead to an increase in drowning deaths compared to last year.