At least 101 million Europeans experienced temperatures above 35C on Thursday, as Spanish and French authorities began to tally the deaths linked to the heatwave.
At least 101 million Europeans sweltered in temperatures of over 35C on Thursday, as scores of people were thought to have been killed by the heatwave.
France and Spain, among the countries worst hit, began counting the toll from the extreme temperatures, including a three-year-old boy who got trapped in his family's car.
AFP calculations based on forecasts from the German weather service and 2025 population projections from the European Joint Research Centre indicated that more than 380 million people would face temperatures of over 30C.
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The UN's climate chief Simon Stiell said the heatwave – made worse by buildings and infrastructure unsuited to such temperatures – "has the fingerprints of the climate crisis all over it".
"Until humanity stops burning colossal amounts of coal, oil and gas, extreme heat will keep getting worse," he added.
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The deputy director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Samantha Burgess, said the hot weather was due to a "heat dome" of trapped air from north Africa in a low-lying high-pressure system, preventing cooler air from moving in.
"While heat domes are a natural weather phenomenon, anthropogenic climate change is making heatwaves more severe and more likely to reach record-breaking temperatures," she added.
Scores of deaths
In Spain, where new temperature records have been set for June, the MoMo monitoring system of mortality rates said 212 deaths between Sunday and Wednesday could be linked to the heat.
Three deaths in northern France's Pas-de-Calais region were "likely" caused by the heat while a prosecutor said a three-year-old boy was found dead in a car in the suburbs of Paris, where temperatures topped 40C on Wednesday.
Two other children died in similar circumstances in France this week.
French authorities banned public alcohol consumption and sales in Paris from Friday, part of measures to take pressure off hospitals overwhelmed by the health impact of the heatwave.
"We are reaching a saturation point in hospital facilities," said Paris police prefect Patrice Faure, adding: "the number of hospitalisations keeps increasing."
In Paris, 25 cardiac arrests were recorded over 24 hours on Wednesday, compared with fewer than 10 usually, Health Minister Stephanie Rist's office said.
At the national level, she said a four-fold increase in emergency room visits for heat-related reasons had been recorded.
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In Italy, courts in Palermo, Sicily, said they were suspending all non-urgent hearings until June 29 due to "malfunctioning air conditioning" while teaching unions in France called for strike action over "unacceptable working conditions".
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported five deaths from the heatwave including two farmworkers and a builder.
The Netherlands issued its first-ever red alert for heat, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C in some places.
"The situation is dangerous; follow the guidance from the government and emergency services," the national weather institute said.
Cooling off
Dozens of people, from couples to families with babies, slept in hammocks and on camping mats at the Buttes-Chaumont park in Paris to beat the heat.
"We've got everything we need, really. And quite a few people hang out here, so there's a good atmosphere," Maissame Decosse, 26, told AFP.
"It's better to be here than indoors."
Elsewhere, locals flocked to the Canal Saint-Martin in the north of the city, some with inflatables, after the authorities allowed swimming there due to the heat.
But in Brussels, residents complained about the lack of public swimming facilities in the Belgian capital, which made it hard for residents to cope as temperatures nudged 40C.
"It's honestly a joke for a city like Brussels with more than a million residents," said Paul Steinbruck, co-founder of the organisation Pool is Cool.
In Germany, where temperatures were in the high 30s and expected to hit 40C through the weekend, several outdoor events were cancelled.
Rail operator Deutsche Bahn also told customers to avoid travel due to a high risk of disruption from wildfires, heavy rain and thunderstorms.
'Nature is angry'
The effects of extreme heat – from dehydration to heatstroke – are a concern for those caring for the vulnerable, including the very young and old.
At the Kingsley Court Care Home in Hayes, west London, fruit juice and water were handed out to dementia patients in shaded areas of the garden.
"When they've got dementia, they forget to ask about whether they feel thirsty," said manager Shiny Mathappan.
The UK suffered its hottest ever June day Thursday, with temperatures reaching 36.7C in the southwest, breaking a record set earlier that day.
London's ambulance service said Thursday it had recorded its highest ever number of "life-threatening emergencies" in one day because of "extreme heat" across Britain's capital.
On Wednesday, the service responded to 642 "category one" calls, which include the most serious illnesses, such as cardiac arrests and patients who are not breathing.
Kingsley Court resident Lucine Nazikian, 97, said she was not keen on the heat and the world needed to take it seriously – or pay the price.
"Nature is angry with us because we destroy everything," she said.
Temperatures are expected to fall in western Europe from Friday but eastern Europe was on red alert as temperatures climbed into the weekend.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
