&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "France heatwave turns deadly as deaths rise and drowning toll reaches record high")
France is witnessing "a higher than normal number of deaths" linked to the ongoing heatwave, Health Minister Stephanie Rist said on Saturday, warning that the full impact is still unfolding as the country battles one of its most severe heatwaves in decades.
A historic heatwave driven by a Saharan "heat dome" has gripped France, pushing temperatures to record levels across the country. Temperatures ranged between 39°C and 44.3°C in several areas, while Paris recorded 40.9°C. The extreme conditions prompted Météo France to place 72 departments under its highest Red Alert, triggering a major public health crisis.
"The extreme heat of recent days has a delayed impact, particularly on vulnerable people but also on some younger ones, who end up in the emergency room five to 10 days after the heatwave," Rist told La Tribune newspaper.
"We're seeing indicators that mortality will very likely be higher than at the same time last year."
Hospitals remain under pressure
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French authorities said on Thursday that hospitals in and around Paris were approaching saturation as they continued to deal with the effects of the prolonged heatwave.
Rist said the burden on hospitals is expected to continue even after temperatures fall, as patients with chronic illnesses may continue to experience health complications.
"The effects of the heatwave for patients with chronic illnesses "can last for several weeks."
"But providing reliable figures takes time. Only 60 per cent of death certificates are issued electronically. We have to wait for the paper certificates to come in," she said.
The minister added that the figures would be released "with full transparency" using the "most reliable figures possible".
The government has activated the highest level of its emergency health plan, deploying the country's medical reserve force to support overstretched hospitals. Authorities have also banned public alcohol consumption and stopped evening alcohol sales in Paris and other Red Alert areas to reduce pressure on emergency services and lower the risk of severe dehydration.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said at least 74 people have drowned in France since June 18 as the country grappled with the extreme heat.
Most of the deaths occurred "in unauthorised, unsupervised bodies of water such as rivers, lakes and ponds," he said, adding that there had also been drownings in private swimming pools.
