The death toll from drowning in France during the current heat wave has risen to 55, reported this Friday (26) the government, which fears an even worse number.
After several days of temperatures close to or above 40ºC in some regions, many people drowned, mostly young people who swam in unauthorized areas of rivers or lakes to escape the heat.
On Thursday night, “we were 55 (drowned), but we fear that the situation will not evolve favorably”, said the Minister of Sports, Marina Ferrari, to the Franceinfo channel.
According to the minister, “65% of drownings occurred in unsupervised or unauthorized swimming areas.”
The current heat wave in Europe has been especially intense in France, which experienced the two hottest nights on record and saw an increase in cases of cardiac arrest.
Paris police commander Patrice Faure warned that Hospitals in the French capital and its metropolitan region are close to “saturation” and, therefore, banned the consumption of alcohol on public roads from noon on Friday.
