Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today!
-
Five people – four women and one man – have been killed in a shooting at a youth welfare facility in a northern German town of Stade. One person died later from their injuries at a hospital.
-
Two people – unofficially identified by the German media as a man and a woman, both 21-year-old – remain in police custody in connection with the shooting.
-
There is an unknown number of people injured, some seriously, with concerns that the death toll could rise further in the coming hours.
-
The motive for the shooting and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear at this stage.
-
A further press conference is scheduled for 7.30pm local time.
Separately,
-
Extreme temperatures continue to affect large parts of central and eastern Europe, with at least 130 million people expected to experience temperatures of 35C and above today, AFP estimates said (11:50).
-
Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Serbia are among the countries most affected today, with temperatures up to 40C.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Updated
Four women, one man dead after shooting in Stade, police says
We are now getting a bit more detail on the incident from the police.
Shots were fired at the facility just after midday, triggering a brief car chase before police stopped the suspect and a second person accompanying him, with local media reporting unofficially that they are a man and a woman, both 21-year-old.
A police spokesperson declined to speculate on a motive behind the attack.
Among the five dead, there are four women and one man. There is no update on the injured.
More details are expected to be released at a later press conference scheduled for 7.30pm local time (6.30pm UK).
Updated
A new police statement released in the last few minutes does not offer much beyond what we already know.
“The area is cordoned off, and a large police presence is on site. There is no danger to the public. We ask that you keep the area clear for emergency personnel. Further information will be provided regularly as the situation develops.”
We are expecting to hear from the city authorities at some point later today, as police officers piece together what happened in Stade.
Updated
Police and rescue personnel work at the scene of Stade shooting in Germany - in pictures
Some injured 'seriously' and death toll could rise, police suggest
Some of those caught up in the shooting were “seriously” injured, a police spokesperson told the German news agency dpa, NTV and HAZ reported.
Updated
Local police warns against misinformation, unconfirmed reports on social media
Local police in Stade have warned against “unconfirmed information” spreading on WhatsApp groups and social media, saying these reports – without specifying what they said – “do not reflect the current officially confirmed information from the police.”
“Please do not forward unverified reports, voice messages, or rumors. This can cause confusion and hinder police operations,” it added.
Five dead, with more injured after shooting in Stade, northern Germany - what do we know
-
Five people have been killed and an unknown number of people were injured in a shooting at a youth welfare facility which includes supported accommodation for young mothers in Stade, near Hamburg in northern Germany.
-
Two people have been apprehended at the scene, including the suspected shooter, police confirmed.
-
There is no active danger to the public, police said.
-
The motive for the shooting and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear at this stage.
Updated
Early pictures from Stade, including video footage shown by Welt TV, show young women with children led by officers away from the scene, and police technicians leaving evidence markets on the pavement.
We will no doubt get more clarity on the incident in due course.
We are now getting first pictures from the scene in Stade, Germany.
Five dead, more injured and two arrested in German city of Stade, police confirms
We have just got a further update from the Stade police, confirming that five adults were killed, and an unknown number of other people sustained injuries.
“Two suspected perpetrators, including the suspected shooter, were arrested,” it added.
The police said the incident took place at a “youth care facility” in the city, which German media say also include a facility supporting vulnerable mothers with young children. Details are yet to be confirmed.
“Investigations into the background and the exact sequence of events are ongoing,” it said.
There is no active danger to the public.
Updated
Five reported dead after a shooting in northern Germany - what we know so far
We are still waiting for a further update from the Stade police.
We know that there are reportedly five people dead after a shooting in Stade near Hamburg in northern Germany, and police have apprehended a suspect.
But we don’t know much more at this stage as the police operation appears to be very much still under way.
The motives or the circumstances of the attack are still unclear, as well as the identities of the affected people.
There are also conflicting reports as to the nature of the place where the shooting happened, with reports saying it is either a youth centre or a mother and child shelter.
We will publish more details here as soon as we know more.
Updated
The reported death toll – five dead – has been confirmed by the police to the German news agency DPA and other local media, including ZDF.
The motive and the exact circumstances of the incident are yet to be clarified.
Early local media reporting says the shooting took place at a youth centre, but this is yet to be confirmed.
Updated
A police notice issued to the public warns of an ongoing “large-scale operation” in Stade, telling people to leave and avoid the area.
“Please only share official information and do not spread rumours,” it added.
Updated
Five people reported dead in shooting in Germany
Pivoting to breaking news from Germany, I am looking at reports of a shooting in the German city of Stade.
Stade is located approximately 45 kilometers west of Hamburg in northern Germany.
Five people are reported dead after “numerous” shots were fired, with the main suspect apprehended by the police, local media say.
I will bring you more as soon as we have it.
Updated
Europe environment correspondent
Has Europe failed to learn from its past?
The devastation of summer 2003 triggered the first serious attempts to deal with heat, as governments linked early warning systems to rapid response measures for when temperatures rose, such as limiting travel, closing schools and cancelling non-urgent appointments in hospitals.
Research has found such adaptations have proved successful, with mortality rates now far less sensitive to shifts in temperature. If the 2003 heatwave were to strike today with the same strength, a study found in November, the projected death toll would be 75% lower.
But at the same time, heatwaves are growing hotter, longer and more common – and it is entirely unclear if efforts to adapt will keep up with the rising concentrations of planet-heating pollution in the atmosphere.
This year, early warning systems kicked into action before the summer had even begun, as shock May heat swept north-west Europe and shattered the UK’s historical temperature record for May by a full 2C.
Two weeks later, the Europe chief of the World Health Organization (WHO), Hans Kluge, stood in Berlin to announce the update of the WHO’s guidelines for heat health action plans, 18 years after they were first released. Just two weeks have passed since then, and Berlin is facing 40C heat.
Climate breakdown is heating Europe faster than any other continent – the result of local weather patterns and proximity to the rapidly melting Arctic – and the current heatwave is no exception to its effects. A rapid attribution study published on Friday by World Weather Attribution (WWA) found it would have been “virtually impossible” at this time of year just 50 years ago.
Europe on 'a one-way trip towards a more dangerous future,' expert warns
Europe environment correspondent
Particularly troubling for human health are the sweltering overnight temperatures reached this week, which the scientists found were about 100 times more likely than in 2003, while the daytime peaks have grown about 10 times more likely.
They ruled out any influence from El Niño, the natural warming weather pattern that recently formed in the Pacific. It will peak in strength toward the end of the year and is likely to make 2027 the hottest on record globally.
For scientists who have long warned that heatwaves are getting worse as carbon pollution rises, the failure to follow expert advice has become tiring.
“There’s a sad inevitability to all of this, with scientists like me trotting out the same quotes year after year,” said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London and co-author of the WWA study, speaking before this week’s records had been broken.
“Yes it’s climate change, yes it’s us, no it’s not El Niño. Simply put, we remain on a one-way trip towards a more dangerous future, and it’s time we hit the brakes.”
Ukraine braces for heatwave to test its energy network
Meanwhile, Ukraine is bracing to absorb the impact of the heatwave on its energy network, already pummelled by Russian attacks over more than four years of war, AFP reported.
Grid operators in at least five regions – from Ivano-Frankivsk in the west to Zaporizhzhia on the frontline in the south – announced temporary restrictions on energy usage would be in force during parts of Tuesday.
The state weather service said the country would face “intense heat”, with temperatures of 35C-38C expected on Monday.
“The heat is also a serious test for equipment that has been operating under wartime conditions for more than four years and has withstood numerous attacks,” Sergii Kovalenko, CEO of the Yasno energy company said over the weekend.
He said that summer was the peak period for repairing the energy network, battered through the winter by repeat Russian attacks, meaning the grid was already “operating at the limit of its capabilities”.
Italy sees extreme temperatures, storms, flooding with short break from heatwave on horizon
Rome correspondent
Intense storms have struck Italy’s Alto Adige region, causing flooding and landslides, as extreme temperatures and humidity lingered elsewhere in the country on Monday.
In some areas of Alto Adige, 50mm of rain fell within an hour. Some residents had to be evacuated from their homes and firefighters rescued one person who became trapped in their garage after a river close to their home in Merano burst its banks.
There are flood warnings in Milan too as the latest heatwave begins to slightly subside.
Temperatures were forecast to reach highs of 37/38C in parts of Italy on Monday, potentially nearing 40C in the Po Valley and inland areas of Sardinia.
The heatwave is poised to break from the middle of the week, bringing more severe storms, according to forecasters, before the above-average temperatures return.
Updated
At least 130 million Europeans to see temperatures of 35C and above today
While some readers in western Europe may be thinking that the worst of the heatwave is gone, the latest AFP analysis shows that at least 130 million people are set to experience temperatures of 35C and above today.
It is (way) more than mid last week, when the heatwave peaked in Britain.
Balkans on alert for sweltering temperatures as heatwaves moves east
As a record-breaking heatwave swept across Europe, the Balkans remained on alert for sweltering temperatures on Monday, prompting health warnings and sparking wildfires, AFP reported.
Although heat was easing in parts of western Europe, temperatures were expected to climb again in the continent’s east on Monday.
In Croatia, as in most of the Balkans, authorities warned of dangerous conditions, with both Bosnia and Albania predicting temperatures of up to 40C.
After battling for days with a landfill fire near the Bosnian city of Mostar, which has poured acrid smoke into the surrounding area since last week, firefighters said they had largely managed to extinguish the blaze.
Elsewhere, emergency crews were also working to control fires sparked over the weekend but none was considered life-threatening.
Kosovo’s weather bureau said temperatures were expected to peak at 38C on Monday, and advised vulnerable residents to stay indoors during the day, AFP reported.
Heatwave continues in Europe - in pictures
Czech Republic records all-time high temperatures over the weekend
Like much of Europe, the Czech Republic has been grappling with an unprecedented heatwave for the past two weeks, AFP reported.
“We have seen the peak of an inflow of very warm air from the southwest so there is no wonder [Sunday’s] records were higher than yesterday,” CHMI said on Sunday.
It added that half of its 171 weather stations registered record-high temperatures on Sunday, while more than 95 percent marked a record for June with many beating Saturday’s all-time highs.
“We still expect hot weather in Moravia and Silesia (east) on Monday. A waving cold front will bring at least partial cooling to Bohemia (west),” CHMI added.
Prague is expected to see temperatures around 33-34C today, with thunderstorms later on.
Berlin police uses water cannons to help crowds cool down as questions about preparedness rise
Record-high temperatures were also recorded in Germany over the weekend, with reports of wildfires and Berlin police resorting to using water cannons to cool down the crowds.
In Gohrischheide, in eastern Germany, a fire broke out in a large forest that’s still contaminated with ammunition from the second world war, complicating efforts by firefighters, AP reported.
Similarly, a major firefighting operation was underway in southwest Germany near the village of Traisen, where the heat sparked a forest fire in an area that also contained unexploded ordnance. Some 650 people in Traisen had to leave their homes Sunday afternoon because the fire continued to spread.
Just like in France, the crisis also prompted some tricky questions about Germany’s preparedness as climate change means we should expect more of this sort of heatwaves in the future.
Updated
Train disruptions reported over weekend as Europe battles heatwave
Over the weekend, multiple European train operators reported substantial disruptions as the extreme weather posed all sorts of logistical challenges.
Issues were reported with Czech, German and Polish trains, among others, with stories of stranded passengers, delays running into hours, and overcrowded trains with barely (or not) working AC.
The Czech operator České dráhy even published a helpful social media thread explaining some of the challenges it faced, including their response to the ever-present question of “why is the AC in my train not working properly” (tl;dr: it’s not prepared for temperatures of 40C).
It features this killer line:
“You might be surprised to learn that the goal isn’t to turn the train into a freezer.”
Worth reading the full thing.
France looks into excess deaths caused by heatwave
Meanwhile, France is counting the human cost of the heatwave, which began in mid-June and ended (temporarily?) with violent thunderstorms over the weekend, AP reported.
Public Health France reports a surge in deaths, particularly among older people. Last week, deaths exceeded 1,200 on Wednesday and rose to over 1,400 on Thursday, AP reported, and Friday, hundreds more than usually.
The authorities expect these numbers to rise as more death certificates are processed, showing the very real and tragic consequences of human-made climate change.
The red extreme heat alert ends today, but the country’s prime minister Sébastien Lecornu will still chair a cross-governmental crisis meeting later today to discuss the events of the last week.
The meeting will also look to draw lessons that could help prepare for any potential future episodes, which, erm, may not be too far out into the future.
Morning opening: It's just too hot
Good morning, or dzień dobry, from Warsaw, Poland as the heatwave that affected much of the continent last week continues to impact central and eastern Europe.
It’s 9am local time and already 32C. I have seen two people cycling home with large fans, trying to get back before the heat hits the fan again. None of this is normal.
Czechia, Germany and Poland all broke their all-time records yesterday. You can catch up with the latest here:
Belgrade, Bratislava, Budapest, Warsaw are all expected to see temperatures up to 38C today.
And before you think you are glad it’s all over in Brussels, Paris, or London, all I am going to say is: don’t check the 10-day weather forecast.
I will bring you all the latest updates from across the continent as central eastern Europe sees the heatwave go and turn into violent thunderstorms this evening – as seen in western Europe earlier this week.
There is also some summertime politics going on, with Nato’s Mark Rutte meeting Britain’s outgoing prime minister Keir Starmer in London, EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič hosting China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao in Brussels today and Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul visiting Marco Rubio in Washington DC.
It’s Monday, 29 June 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
