French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari has made a public appeal to the public concerned by the increasing number of drownings. He strongly urged citizens not to wade into any unauthorized or dangerous water bodies, canals or rivers.
Europe Heatwave News: All of Europe is currently facing an unprecedented and devastating heatwave. People exhausted by the intense heat are scrambling to find relief anywhere, but in France these attempts to escape the heat have proved fatal for many families. French official Sebastien Lecornu said in a shocking statement last Tuesday that since June 18 alone, 40 people have tragically drowned in the country trying to get relief from the heat. Most of these victims were young people who entered canals, rivers and other dangerous water sources to bathe to escape the unbearable temperatures.
The temperature crossed 43 degrees
According to weather department reports, the temperature touched 40 degrees Celsius in most parts of France, while the mercury even crossed the 43 degree Celsius mark in some inland parts of western France. According to meteorologists, these are the hottest days and nights recorded in France since 1947. In view of this extraordinary heat situation, ‘Red Alert’ has been issued for 54 divisions of the country. The French administration has described the situation as ‘unprecedented and extremely worrying’, prompting a high-alert in most parts of France.
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The whole of Europe, including Britain and Italy, was in a tizzy
Not only France, but many major European countries like Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Spain are currently reeling under record-breaking heat. Temperatures in many regions of these countries are setting new records every day. This extreme heat is having a direct and negative impact on the general public life, schools-colleges and transport services. Several services have been cut or forced to close amid fears of melting train tracks and power grid failure.
Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has given a serious warning about this climate change, saying that the temperature in Europe is increasing twice as fast as the global average rate. Due to this global warming, there has been a significant increase in the frequency of long-lasting and extremely intense heat waves in European countries, which is a great threat to both human life and the environment.
Government’s appeal to the public
French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari has made a public appeal to the public concerned by the increasing number of drownings. He strongly urged citizens not to wade into any unauthorized or dangerous water bodies, canals or rivers. The minister said that people should use only safe and administratively certified (authorized) places or swimming pools to get relief from heat, so as to avoid such accidents and risk of life.
