The record temperatures currently affecting France have already caused seven deaths, according to government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon.
"What I can say today is that there are seven deaths directly or indirectly linked to the heat," Bregeon said, adding that "we will have to take stock of all this at the end of the heat wave."
Sources close to the spokeswoman specify that two people drowned in Gironde, one in the Marne, another in Seine-et-Marne, and another in Maine-et-Loire. Two other people died while exercising in Paris and the Lyon suburbs.
Temperatures for May are record-breaking, reaching highs of 36 degrees Celsius. Eight departments are under orange alert: Finistère, Morbihan, Manche, Ille-et-Vilaine, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Vendée, and Loire-Atlantique. The heat will be felt until Saturday, after which temperatures will begin to drop.
Highs of over 30 degrees Celsius are also expected in Paris during the Roland Garros, the Grand Slam tennis tournament that traditionally follows the Italian Open. This evening at the Porte d'Auteuil, world number one Jannik Sinner will face Frenchman Clement Tabur, number 171.
(Unioneonline)
