Heatwave shifts east as France raises health alert to highest level

Heatwave conditions that have affected Spain, France and the UK are moving eastward, with forecasters in Germany and the Czech Republic issuing warnings for extreme temperatures. Temperatures in western and south-western Germany could reach 40C on Thursday and across the country on Friday. An extreme weather warning is now active across much of the Czech Republic.

France raises health alert Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that France is raising its health alert to the highest level to increase hospital staffing and protect vulnerable people. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said deaths linked to the heat are now occurring among young people who suffer cardiac arrests as well as among the elderly.

The Paris ambulance service recorded four times the normal number of cardiac arrests over a 24-hour period, Rist said. Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire stated that the mortality rate is rising in the capital and advised residents to avoid outdoor exercise.

A three-year-old child was found dead in a car in the Paris region. In Rennes, emergency services linked five or six deaths in homes to the heat after welfare checks found residents unresponsive.

Nuclear plants offline, transport disrupted Three nuclear plants in France have gone offline due to the heat. The first day of the Garorock festival in the Lot-et-Garonne region has been cancelled. Hamburg's half marathon has been cancelled on Sunday.

Deutsche Bahn is allowing free ticket cancellations for passengers who choose not to travel. Czech Railways has advised passengers to postpone non-essential trips. In Italy, the Uffizi museum in Florence has halted ticket sales until 28 June because its air conditioning system cannot handle the combination of high visitor numbers and extreme temperatures.