Mortuaries across Paris are struggling to cope with an unprecedented surge in deaths as a record-breaking heatwave continues to claim lives, leaving funeral directors and grieving families desperate for space.
Zouhaeir Hertelli, a mortuary owner in the French capital, finds his phone ringing incessantly. With all 32 places in his cold room now occupied, he is forced to repeatedly deliver the grim news: "Non." "We're facing a really catastrophic situation," he said. "I'm getting hundreds of calls."
