Updated 23.15 | Published 22.55
Wine stoppage in Paris, canceled sports events and a large number of deaths.
Extreme heat continues to plague Europe.
– We must not think that we are invulnerable, says Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire who roars at joggers.
At least 101 million Europeans experienced temperatures of over 35 degrees on Thursday, reports AFP.
And around the continent, countries resort to crisis measures that bring to mind the shutdowns during the corona pandemic.
In Spain, 213 deaths between Sunday and Wednesday have been linked to the heat, write The Guardian.
The newspaper Corriere della Sera reports that five people have died due to the heat wave in Italy, including two farmers and a construction worker.
The judiciary in Palermo, Sicily, has postponed all non-urgent trials until June 29 due to broken air conditioning.
Boy died in car
In France, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist warns that both the elderly and the young are at risk of being harmed by the heat.
In a suburb of Paris, a three-year-old boy has been found dead after climbing into the family’s car. When the child locks on the doors were activated, the boy could not get out of the hot car.
At the same time, at least 40 people in France have died in drowning accidents.
3,500 schools were closed on Thursday because they lack air conditioning, according to Le Monde,
“Alcohol in sunlight devastating”
The heat has also led to drastic measures by the police in Paris.
From 18:00 on Friday, the sale of alcohol will be prohibited
And already from lunchtime it will be forbidden to drink alcohol in public places.
– Alcohol in direct sunlight has devastating effects, leading to the mobilization of firefighters and paramedics, who are already very busy, says Paris police chief Patrice Faure to BFMTV.
The city’s paramedics have had to work. During a 24-hour period, 25 cardiac arrests occurred – the average figure is 10.
And mayor Emmanuel Grégoire roars against joggers.
– We must not think that we are invulnerable. I’m thinking especially of the young people… around 7:30pm last night I saw about 100 joggers on the street. Frankly, it is irresponsible, he says on French television according to BBC.
– It’s okay to take a couple of days off from training, he adds.
40 degrees in Germany
But the heat doesn’t take a break – it spreads east and north.
On Friday, the temperature may reach 40 degrees in several places in Germany.
During the night of Thursday, it did not get cooler than 26.2 degrees in the southwestern city of Bad Bergzabern, which touches a national heat record from 2019.
According to meteorologist Oliver Reuter at the German weather service DWD, the country will see a historic heat wave in the coming days.
“Not prepared for disaster”
Several outdoor events in the country have been cancelled, including the Hamburg half marathon on Sunday. Train operator Deutsche Bahn is offering free ticket cancellation over the next few days for anyone who does not want to travel due to the extreme heat.
– Awareness of the risks of extreme heat has certainly increased, but Germany is still poorly equipped – or not equipped at all – to deal with a heat-related disaster, says Martin Herrmann, chairman of the German Climate and Health Alliance, to AFP.
At the same time, Luxembourg broke a new heat record for a June day on Wednesday, with 38.3 degrees. A red heat warning applies there until Saturday evening.
The Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Austria’s capital Vienna are also expected to have temperatures of around 40 degrees this weekend.
And Great Britain is breaking heat record after heat record.
On Wednesday, the hottest June day in the country in 50 years was measured – 35.8 degrees in Wiggonholt
But the record was short-lived. Already on Thursday, 36.7 degrees were measured in Merryfield in Somerset, writes the BBC.
