France records hottest day ever as 40 people drown across country

Tourists in Paris use umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun on Tuesday. Photograph: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images

France has registered its hottest day on record as 40 people across the country were confirmed to have drowned while swimming in unsupervised areas over the last few days.

“There is a tragic scourge of drownings,” prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday. “The latest figures we’ve received are 40 deaths since 18 June. Most of the victims are young people.”