France has seen 301 drownings since 19 June, a government minister has said, linking the sharp rise in deaths compared to last year to the prolonged heatwaves.
Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari told France Inter radio the number of deaths - a 14% hike on 2025 - was a "tragic toll". Because nothing says summer fun like a 14% increase in tragic tolls.
France, Spain and Italy have been hit by heatwaves, which have triggered massive wildfires that scorched thousands of hectares of land. In case you were wondering, yes, that's also bad.
Ferrari said people have been taking risks by going into the water, adding: "Many deadly accidents have occurred in areas that are not authorised or supervised for swimming." She said a number of the drownings were recorded in "open water, in canals for example". Apparently, the allure of a murky canal is irresistible when the mercury rises.
Ferrari said the government was working with regional authorities "to improve swimming areas and make things safer". Speaking on Friday, she added that "many drownings, particularly among the elderly, occurred in individual pools". Because even your own backyard can become a deathtrap when you're elderly and it's hot.
The minister said that sudden immersion in cold water on a hot day could cause shock, and in some cases "people can also exceed their physical capabilities". In other words, your body might not appreciate the dramatic temperature change, or the fact that you're attempting Olympic-level swimming after a lifetime of couch-based activities.
In June, Ferrari warned that too many people were trying to cool off in rivers and canals without necessarily taking the risks into account. But did anyone listen? Of course not. We're human.
Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world - but particularly in Europe. It is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service. So, Europe: the hottest place to be, and not in a good way.
Drowning deaths soar in France as Europe buckles in peak of heatwave. The June heatwave saw a nuclear power plant in southwest France temporarily shut down because water temperatures in the River Garonne topped 28C. Under French laws, water used to cool the reactors at the Golfech plant must not exceed that temperature. Because even nuclear reactors have their limits.
Some monuments like the Eiffel Tower also decided to close early because of the high temperatures in Paris during the June heatwave. Yes, the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris, had to take a break because it was too hot. If that's not a sign of the times, we don't know what is.
The dry conditions also saw wildfires spread across France, with the Gironde, around the city of Bordeaux, in the south-west of the country being the worse affected area, with more than 200,000 people being forced from their homes in late July. That's a lot of people fleeing their homes, probably wondering if they should've invested in a pool instead.
France has logged 7,300 excess deaths between late May and 22 July, according to provisional figures from the public health authorities. But hey, at least the heatwave gave us some great satellite images of Europe looking like a burnt toast. Europe's scorched landscapes seen from space after summer heatwaves. Because who needs a vacation when you can watch your continent turn into a barbecue from orbit?